Tangled
by gote
Summary: Rose has a secret, Albus is sick of being left in the dark. Lucy has a crush -or well, several- and Louis doesn't like girls. Four sixth year Weasley/Potter cousins, four different houses and this; the story that connects them all, as their lives mix together in a tangled mess of drama and deceit.
1. Louis

_Warnings: language, slash, mature themes_**, **_(and possibly a slow beginning)._

* * *

**Chapter 1: Louis**

Louis Weasley never could hold a conversation with a girl. Not because of a lack of social skills on his part. It was them, not him. He'd greet them or ask them a question, whatever. It didn't matter what he said or what he did, their reaction was always the same. They'd blush, giggle, and bat their eyelashes in response, leaving him frustrated and annoyed. What was the matter with them? Had they no self-respect?

None of them could ever hold his attention or interest him at all. They were all the same to him; an irritating presence, flitting about unwanted in the corners of his life. Sure, they were nice to look at –for the most part- but then they'd always open their mouths, in a surge of giggles and compliments, and the illusion would be shattered.

It was probably why he enjoyed the frequent Weasley/Potter family gatherings so much. No one there cared that he was part veela and easily the best looking guy at school. They'd all seen him grow up. They still had memories of him as a young kid; throwing a screaming tantrum, losing control of his toy broomstick, falling into the pond, being dressed up as a girl by his older sisters (they'd shoved him into a dress, covered him in make-up and there he was, "Louisa" their littlest sister), running about in the nude, his face covered in food and all the rest –definitely not a sex god. He was just another one of the cousins, and one of the boring ones at that. It was the loud outgoing ones that stole the show. Louis would just disappear into the shadows with a drink and the shadow of a smile to observe the amusing antics of his extended family from the shadows. Or when even his family began to get on his nerves -and they always would- he could disappear completely and they'd never even notice. There were far too many of them and it wasn't as if he made enough of an impact when he was around to be missed when he wasn't. But it didn't bother him, not really.

Louis loved the illusion of invisibility, the feeling that he was living in a different dimension to everyone else -a living breathing ghost- but it hurt too, somewhere deep down. And maybe that was the attraction for him; the pleasure in the pain. These were the people who knew him best, weren't they? And they barely cared for him. There was a sick satisfaction in knowing that if the girls at school looked beyond his pretty face that any interest they held for him would be lost.

There was a knock on his bedroom door. Hurried, demanding. Louis didn't bother getting off his bed. The door opened anyway, as he knew it would. He squinted at his oldest sister, Victoire, from where he lay upside down, dangling of the side of the bed and holding on with only his legs. He'd kind of fallen down like that and then hadn't bothered to get back up. Victoire didn't seem to find it anything out of the ordinary and huffed impatiently. "Why aren't you ready?" she groaned, "Mum's going to kill you!"

Louis quirked an eyebrow, a considerable feat, seeing that he was upside down. "I am ready."

Victoire gave him a look that cried "You're wearing that?" before rolling her eyes and turning to the door. "Yeah, Mum's going to kill you. C'mon, five minutes. Hurry up."

They were about to leave for a Weasley/Potter family gathering at their Grandparents' house; the last chance for everyone to catch up before those still school left for Hogwarts the next day at the end of the Christmas break. Louis had only considered the event with mild indifference. Yeah, he loved his family and it'd be nice to seem them, but he was also only a few chapters off finishing the book he was reading. But whatever, he was going.

Louis rolled off the bed as the door closed shut behind his sister, tossing the book to the side. Yes, he'd been attempting to read upside down. No, it hadn't been working. Half asleep, although it was nearly 6 o'clock, Louis yawned as he shoved his feet into a ratty old pair of combat boots.

His room was a mess. Even though he was to return to Hogwarts the next morning he hadn't even started putting his stuff back into his trunk. But oh well, that's what later was for. Clothes lay tossed over every possible surface and his books were in messy piles over in the corner. His homework was under the books …or so he thought. Or well, hoped.

Louis crawled halfway under his bed which was, of course, the only logical place for his jacket to be. Pushing aside old lolly wrappers and ducking away from the claws of his moody cat, Pebbles, Louis pulled out his favourite black jacket and slid out from under the bed. He got to his feet and slid the jacket on over the layers of clothing he already wore. It was the middle of Winter, and he attested that he could very well wear a t-shirt, a blue jumper knitted for him by his grandma and emblazed with the Ravenclaw eagle, an unbuttoned plaid jacket and well, another jacket on top of that . It was cold, okay.

He glanced in the mirror to see wide blue eyes staring back at him from under a flopping fringe of white-blond hair. He scowled and looked away, calling for Pebbles who emerged from under the bed with a meow of complaint. He grabbed his wand out of the unused fish tank on his bookshelf and ushered the cat out of the room before leaving himself, slamming the door shut behind him.


	2. Rose

**Chapter 2: Rose**

"Rose Weasley!"

Rose made an effort of noticeably ignoring the voice. It persisted.

"Why aren't you packed yet? We're leaving in five minutes and you're not going to have time to do so afterwards!"

"I'm not packing," she replied, calmly, not looking up from the book she was reading.

Her mother, Hermione, snapped back her retort. "That much is obvious!"

Rose dropped the book. "I'm not going back," she said. "I've told you that."

Her father appeared beside his wife in the doorway to Rose's room. "Don't start this again, Rosie," he sighed.

"If she's not going back, then I'm not going back!" called Hugo from his room across the hall, in the way only a little brother could.

"No one is not going back!" Hermione just about screeched, sounding seconds away from ripping her own hair out. Or possibly her daughter's. She took a deep breath. "Rose, we've discussed this. You're going back to Hogwarts and finishing your education and that's final."

Stubbornly, Rose crossed her arms across her chest. "Stop trying to control me."

"Stop trying to control you? Rose, you're sixteen! What would you even do?"

"I have plans," said Rose, avoiding all eye contact.

"You're impossible!" fumed Hermione, throwing her arms into the air in frustration. "Ron, you deal with her."

"But- what? No! Hermione!"

But Hermione had left, apparated away with a loud crack.

Ron looked over at his teenage daughter sheepishly. He didn't like taking the main role parent-wise and Rose knew it.

"I'm sick of it, Dad," explained Rose, flopping back further into her pillows and hoping for a more sympathetic response from her softer father. "I hate it there. Mum doesn't get it. She loved school."

Ron crossed the room and awkwardly took a seat next to his daughter; he knew as well as anyone that it wasn't particularly safe to be so close to Rose once she started to get worked up like this.

"Rosie…" he began, hesitantly. Rose glared at him. "Rose," he corrected, "If you were older, and actually had a job or some other way of supporting yourself then maybe we'd consider it, but you don't. At least wait until you're seventeen, I mean, what's the rush?" He gave a hopeful smile.

Rose knew exactly what the rush was. The memory came flooding back, causing her cheeks to redden and her heartbeat to increase rapidly. She buried her face into her pillow. She was so stupid. So, so stupid. She punched at the mattress a few times.

Yeah, here was no way she was going back after _that_.

"Besides, you've always loved Hogwarts!" Ron continued, "It was until you came home for Christmas that you decided you hated it."

Rose scowled, yep, he could stop now. She thanked Merlin that he wasn't her mother however, and wouldn't see through that there just may have been a trigger...

She mumbled sulkily into her pillow, "Not true."

"It was a bit too sudden to be believable, Rosie," laughed Ron, ruffling her red hair. Angry, Rose attempted to swat his hand away and Ron shook his head fondly, still laughing softly.

His face quickly grew serious though as he continued. "You can't just run away from your problems, Rose. You have to face them head on. You're brave enough to do so, I know you are. You're a Gryffindor after all."

Gryffindor or not, Rose was pretty sure she'd rather spend the rest of her days hiding out in a broom cupboard than "face" _him_.

If she was a more rational, less stubborn person then she probably would have reacted to this piece of advice, well, any way other than how she did.

"I am _not_ running away from anything!" she lied, pushing herself into a sitting position, her eyes flashing dangerously. Angry that he was right, angry that she'd been called out for it. With Gryffindor-rashness and not-ready-to-grow-up immaturity she exclaimed, "I'll pack when I get home and I'll go back to school, but as soon as I turn seventeen _I am out_." Rose stormed to door.

Dammit, she needed a new plan.


	3. Al, Scorpius

**Chapter 3: Al, Scorpius**

"Hey, yeah, well, what I says goes. This is my house, not yours."

"_Obviously,"_ snorted Scorpius, "I'd never paint my walls that colour. They don't half match the curtains."

Albus rolled his eyes. "You're ridiculous. Get off my bed."

Scorpius ignored him, still lying sprawled back across Al's bed like he owned the place. He rolled onto his side to face his best mate who glared at him with bright green eyes as Scorpius snuggled deeper into Al's mountain of pillows.

Al pulled a face. "I'm going to have to wash those again now. Mum won't be happy."

It was Scorpius's turn to roll his eyes now. "If you hadn't exhausted me with your ramblings of a crazy Quidditch freak then maybe I wouldn't be left bedridden today."

The crazy glint reappeared in Al's eyes at the mention of Quidditch, ignoring his friend's overdramatising. "You don't understand, I have to beat James! I'm captain now and-"

"Oh no, oh no," warned Scorpius, sitting upright, "do _not _start this again."

"But-"

"No, Potter, don't even think about it. I have your pillows and I'm not afraid to smother you with them."

Al opened his mouth to protest.

Scorpius picked up a pillow in warning. "Don't think I won't do it. You've driven me to the edge. I'm this close to breaking point." He held his hand up, first finger nearly touching his thumb. "This close!If I hear about one more training drill or see another bloody diagram you'll be front page of The Prophet tomorrow. '_Potter put to premature death by pillows'. _Is that-"

Scorpius's ranting was interrupted by Al's mother Ginny's arrival at the doorway. "Al won't be the only one facing a premature death if you two don't hurry downstairs." she said, "We're going to be late."

A minute later -or what felt like a lifetime to Scorpius- after Al had hidden away all his piles of scrawled Quidditch plans (Scorpius, wanting to leave that bedroom sometime this century, had decided not to mention if James wanted to find the piles of tactics and top secret game plans he could simply summon them and Al hiding them under his bed was hardly going to stop him), the two boys were making their way down the Potter house's central staircase.

"So who's going to this …family gathering," he said the two words with some distaste, which was not really unwarranted seeing as he was to be the only Malfoy among countless Potters and Weasleys, "of yours?"

"Family," shrugged Al.

Scorpius only raised an eyebrow in response.

Al sighed, running a hand threw his forever messy black hair. "Everyone but Teddy I believe. He's headed back to school already." Teddy, although neither a Potter nor a Weasley, was Al's father Harry's godson and considered as much a part of the family as any of the cousins. He was the assistant gamekeeper at their school, Hogwarts, and had been since the beginning of the year.

"Ahh," nodded Scorpius thoughtfully, "so your cousin with the pretty eyes will be there?"

Albus frowned and glanced over at his best friend. "I thought I had the pretty eyes?" he said.

"You do, my friend," grinned Scorpius, "but unfortunately your eyes are attached to the rest of you, which, no offense, I have no interest in." He ruffled Al's hair affectionately and Al rolled his eyes, ducking away from Scorpius's teasing hand before shooting what he hoped was a stern glare his way.

Scorpius took the last few stairs two at time, laughing.

"Oi!" called Al, at Scorpius's retreating back. "You're not allowed to have an _interest_ in any of my cousins!"


	4. Lucy

It may have been because she didn't look like a Weasley, with the dark hair and eyes that she inherited from her mother, or the fact that she was a Hufflepuff while they majority of them were Gryffindors, or maybe it was a bit of both, it didn't really matter. The point was that Lucy didn't really feel that close to her cousins and that most of the school didn't even realise that she was related to the famous group of students. Not that she minded though. Her friends were her family and they were all she needed.

She was happiest with them, laughing their way through the nights and giggling through the days. Stalking Quidditch captains and dressing up the knights of armour, it was always a laugh with them and it was with them that she felt her most comfortable. Her cousins were fun of course, but among them Lucy always felt on the outer. She got along with them well enough, but there was always jokes she didn't get, conversations she didn't understand. With her friends she could be really be herself. She could say what she liked without being over shadowed or feeling put down.

Her friends' view on her family however, that was a whole different thing. Lucy was in a position where she heard all the ridiculous rumours and stupid stories about her family firsthand, as people often didn't realise who they were speaking in front of. She always found these tales hilarious, and not to mention dead useful. Having her cousins bribe her to let them in on the inside goss about them was always a laugh, and could really come in handy when she needed a favour.

However, she couldn't lie and say that hearing her best friends obsess over her male cousins didn't get old fast. Although it gave her a strange burst of pride, knowing that she shared blood with the people her friends (and most of the rest of the school) so obsessed over, there was only so many times she could hear about Al Potter's "beautiful eyes" or Louis's hair ("it just looks so soft, I just want to run my hands through it!") without wanting to throw herself into The Black Lake.

Family gatherings -although they didn't involve her school friends- usually meant being able to avoid her immediate family and getting to hang out with her cousins like it was the old days (pre-sorting) again, so they were okay in her book. Plus there was always the vague hope that James would bring along one of his (gorgeous, _gorgeous_) friends along with him and, of course, the juicy gossip.

But Lucy arrived at The Burrow this time, like all the rest, to find no seventh years other than James and his best friend and their cousin, Fred. However there was someone else; Scorpius Malfoy, a fellow sixth year, who had been brought along by Al. Al and Scorpius were incredibly close, and it was common knowledge that Scorpius didn't exactly see eye to eye with his parents, and therefore spent a lot of time staying with the Potters.

Sure, Scorpius wasn't _quite_ at the standard of some of James's mates (at least according to Lucy), but he was a) male and b) not related to her, so she was happy. Plus there was c) d) and e), those stormy grey eyes, chiselled features and _infuriating_ smirk. Yeah, okay, she wasn't complaining that he was there. As long as he didn't open his mouth, she couldn't see why there would be a problem. Good looks aside, she wasn't the biggest fan of the Slytherin personally.

She'd left her parents and older sister behind the moment they arrived at The Burrow. The three of them, she knew, were in the kitchen right now with the rest of the adults. Lucy had already been hugged nearly to death by the sheer number she'd had to receive from not only her grandparents, but from what felt like hundreds of uncles and aunties. She stumbled into the living room where she knew the younger cousins would be, and stopped in the doorway. Al and Scorpius were standing against the far wall, next to the glowing fireplace, and appeared to be deep in discussion. Scorpius though looked up when she entered the room, shooting her that famous, teasing smirk. Lucy glared at him, and crossed her arms, her cheeks reddening slightly. Dominique, although quite a bit older than the rest of them at twenty-one, sat on the top of the couch on the right, perched on top of the backrest, as if holding court over those below her. Her sister, Victoire, had been in the kitchen. James sat next to Dom and Fred next to him, but Dom still looked like she owned the place. James looked as if he was trying to appear the same way, but didn't quite have the same commanding, striking presence his tall blonde and beautiful cousin did. Fred was trying to shove his fifteen-year-old sister, Roxanne, off the couch where she'd clearly tried to steal a seat between a sprawled out Rose and an awkward Louis.

"Children must sit on the floor," Fred objected, as Roxie fell to said floor, giving her a final kick once she'd landed there.

Roxie, ever polite, flipped him off. "It's comfortable down here," she decided, lying back fully, "this carpet's bloody luxurious."

Lily and Hugo were squashed into the much smaller couch opposite; it was obvious why Roxie wasn't trying to sit there. Their heads were together, whispering to each other while peering down at something Lucy couldn't see, clearly paying no attention to the events around them. After all, this was tamel for the Potter and Weasley cousins.

Before Lucy could even think about where she was going to try to fit in James called out to her. "Lowly sixth years down on the couch, Lu!" He motioned down to where Rose and Louis sat below him.

Rose pushed him off the top of the couch.

Al, having broken off his conversation with Scorpius, seemed to take that as an invitation to take a seat on the couch and leapt for the free space. James scrambled to his feet and quickly leant back over the top of the couch.

"What did we say?" he demanded. "No children _and no slimy Slytherins!" _He dived over the top the couch, landing on his brother. The two of them feel to the ground in a flailing mess of limbs, exchanging what they –if asked- would have described as punches but were really more like girly slaps. There may have even been some hair pulling at one point. All in good humour though. James stuck his head up for long enough to say, "There you go Lu, a seat for you!" as if the entire thing had been a plot to secure a seating placement for the lady, even though she'd been a "lowly sixth year" a minute ago. Oh so chivalrous James.

Lucy shook her head, laughing. She'd always liked James, however ridiculous he was. She skipped across the room, jumped out of the way of her wrestling cousins at the last second and threw herself onto the couch. She heard a yelp of protest and oh shit, oh shit, she'd landed on Louis, who looked terrified. Usually Lucy would be terrified too, as bad as it was, Louis intimidated her a little with his annoyingly good looks and sometimes abrupt manner, she always felt like he was judging her. His expression now though, was too funny; all wide eyed and startled. The entire situation was too funny and she found herself laughing as she fell backwards, rolling off Louis's lap (how her friends would kill to be in her place right now) and "Oww!" She'd hit her back on Rose's knee. She laughed even harder. Rose pulled her legs in with a laugh and Lucy turned around again, managing not to knock anyone out or anything before leaning back against the couch. Rose and Louis flicked their legs over her, the two of them lounging back with Lucy trapped in the middle, their living, breathing foot rest. James and Al as stopped fighting at the sound of a war-like cry as the three youngest cousins, Roxie, Lily and Hugo ran forward dived in unison for the couch. Pretty soon they were all laughing and fighting over the couch as Scorpius watched on, amused. The chaos didn't end until Dom pulled out her wand and vanished both of the couches with a sharp flick of her wand.

They ended up sitting in a circle on the carpet, which was _not_ as luxurious as Roxanne had earlier described and relaxed chatter broke out amongst them.

Lucy wasn't really paying much attention to the conversation. She'd pulled out her muggle mobile phone and was busy texting her friend Cindy. But when Matthew Davies's name was mentioned she zoned right back in.

"He's right fit," said Roxanne, saying exactly what Lucy had been thinking.

The other girls nodded in agreement. James rolled his eyes.

"He tried to kill me!" exclaimed Louis, learning forward, wide-eyed.

"That's another credit to his name then," teased Dom.

Everyone was looking at Louis, who usually didn't speak out in group conversations, unless of course it was with a sarcastic comment or wry observation. Louis shrunk back at the sudden attention, blushing.

"Err… care to explain?" demanded Rose, not unreasonably.

"He tried to kill me," Louis just repeated.

"Define kill," said Scorpius, Louis glanced at him for a second before quickly looking away, his gaze falling to the ground.

"He tried to recruit me for the Quidditch team," he explained.

There were a lot of "ohhhhs" and everyone sitting back, thinking that that was it.

But Louis wasn't finished. "And I said no, so he chased me down three corridors. I nearly fell out of the owlery." He sounded quite distressed.

"…Bloody hell."

"I know. He said that I was small and a Weasley-"

"Both honest statements," nodded the rather tall Fred.

"And ridiculously handsome," continued Louis, in the same harried tone.

"And one not so much."

Rose rolled her eyes. "He did not say that."

"Who's telling the story?" he asked.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Carry on."

"Alright, he didn't mention that. But he said that I looked like a seeker and that he needed a seeker and I needed to play it for him."

"But you can't play for shit," stated James bluntly.

"That's what I said!" agreed Louis, "and he said that I was holding back on him on purpose. He was like 'all the other Potters/Weasleys play for Gryffindor and it's not fair if that won't play for us.' Then he yelled that he 'wasn't missing out on this opportunity!' and I said unless his 'opportunity' was to watch me plummet fifty feet to my death he was going to be disappointed."

There were a few quiet laughs, everyone knew it was true. Louis wasn't a bad flyer but add distraction such as other players and Quidditch balls and he was hopeless. He usually ended up screwing his eyes shut and covering his head, not the best tactic if you're attempting to stay on your broom. Plus he wasn't the most graceful person, even if he looked so. The last time he'd played Quidditch he'd slid off the end of his broom and to pull all the bristles off with him, when a bludger had come only slightly near his vicinity.

"So what happened then?" Lily, was wide-eyed, clearly very into the story.

"He killed me and buried the body," Louis replied dryly.

Lily glared at him.

"It's about time someone did," nodded Dom.

Lucy gasped; suddenly realising she knew more of this story than she'd thought at first. Everyone turned to look at her puzzlingly. "Is that when you blew up the charms corridor? Well, both of you, sorry."

Louis laughed lightly, shaking his hair out of his eyes. When he spoke again he sounded faintly embarrassed. "Yeah, things got kinda ugly…"

Fred let out a low whistle.

James looked impressed. "My dear boy," he said sounding scarily like their Uncle Percy. "I knew you'd make me proud one day." He learned forward to ruffle Louis's hair.

Louis batted his hand away. "Oi," he objected sternly, "no one touches the hair." He ran his own hand through it, pushing it back so it stuck upright. It suited him. Everything suited him, stupid part-veela.

He may has well have put out an open invitation. James and Fred looked at each other and grinned mischievously. They probably would have dived on him right then and there if Scorpius hadn't interrupted with a question, directed at Louis, that caught everyone's attention. "Is that why you dive into the nearest broom cupboard whenever you see him coming, then?"

Louis grinned. "I have a healthy respect for my own life, there's nothing wrong with that," he said, "And yeah, maybe Davies said he'd make me try out for the team, even if it kills him. -or, as I think is more likely, me- but it's not him I'm scared of, it's his dodgy spellwork. How else do you think the charms corridor blew up? I mean who messes a disarming spell up _that badly_? It's a wonder I made it out alive."

There was silence as everyone considered this, nodding slowly.

"He's does have a bloody good body though," said Roxanne, breaking the silence. "I'd '_join his team_', if you know what I mean."

They did.

AN: Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, I really appreciate it. If you've read this far then I'd love if you dropped me a line, let me know what you think. I love hearing from you. :)


	5. Welcome To The Game

**Chapter 5: Welcome To The Game**

Sitting down at dinner Louis's mind, like always, was far away from the overfull table they were all sitting at. It took loud laughter and "No, no, no! Do you remember Louis?" to pull him out of his thoughts.

One too many drinks and of course the embarrassing stories came out. Louis's eyes flicked nervously over to where Scorpius Malfoy sat across from him, an intruder on their family affairs. It was only for a split second, and he hadn't _meant_ to look at him. The next moment his eyes were back on his drunken aunt, whose hands waved about dramatically as she recited the story with great enthusiasm. Louis braced himself, and groaned once he realised what the story was. Why him? Why now?

"He was more into the dolls than his sisters were," continued Aunt Audrey in the 'gossiping mum' tone that all children know too well. "When we'd mind the three of them, Louis would sit there with our girls, brushing the dolls' hair and trying them into their different clothes, while his sisters would go out and play Quidditch!" She howled with laughter that was echoed fondly around the table.

Louis sunk deeper into his chair, his cheeks reddening. There was no point denying these events, as much as he wanted to (come on, he'd been about five!) -then the photo evidence would come out.

The conversation had moved on anyway. Now being discussed was the first time James had rode a full sized broomstick and had been so eager that in his excitement he'd crashed it straight into a brick wall.

Again Louis couldn't help but to glance to the other side of the table. Scorpius was looking right at him and when he saw Louis look back he smirked over the rim of his glass. Catching Louis's eyes he mouthed a word that made Louis's blood run cold. "_Faggot."_

White hot anger clenched in his gut and before he even _think_ he was pulling his wand out of the pocket of his jeans and directing it at Malfoy under the table, his pretty blue eyes narrowing dangerously. And Scorpius looked _amused. _Amused! Louis muttered the incantation under his breath. (What did it matter that he wasn't quite yet seventeen when he was in a house full of overage wizards and witches?)

There was a loud bang and Scorpius's chair exploded beneath him. It sent him flying backwards before he crashed into the wall behind him and collapsed into a heap on the floor below.

The room was silent for a moment as everyone stared at Scorpius in shock, before erupting with noise. Granddad Weasley was clapping.

Scorpius was sprawled across the wreckage of his chair, spluttering in the dust.

Stuffing his hands in his pockets Louis stormed from the room, flicking his fringe back as he did so, leaving near chaos in his wake.

You could say what you liked about Louis Weasley, but you couldn't say he didn't have style.

* * *

Al's brow furrowed as he watched Louis leave the room. He looked around quickly to see that no one had taken any note of his sudden departure (and spared a glance at Scorpius, of course, to make sure he was still alive. What kind of friend did you take him for?) before deciding to follow after his cousin. He skirted around the table and slipped out the door, closing it gently shut behind him.

Louis sat on the old swing-set, swinging back and forth slowly. Albus couldn't see his face and moved hesitantly to the swing next to him, hoping he'd calmed down a little. It was dangerous to mess with any Weasley when they were angry, and Louis was certainly not an exception to this rule. Al took a seat. Louis didn't even turn to look at him.

"Any particular reason why you're firing hexes at my best friend?" Al asked mildly.

"I didn't do anything," Louis lied automatically, but his tone was defensive.

"I saw you take your wand from your pocket and aim at it him. A second later he was flying through the air." He grinned. It was easy on this cool, calm night. "What do you expect me to believe?"

"Uhh, yeah. Sorry about that…"

"Don't worry; I'm tempted to do the same thing sometimes."

Louis just nodded, still staring straight ahead. Al got the impression that he was only partly listening to him. He sighed and run his hand through his messy black hair. "Just wondering," he began slowly after a few moments silence, "What exactly did he say to you?"

Louis finally turned around at that. "What?" he asked, his voice suddenly cold. His eyes, guarded.

"I know he must have said something. He always does."

Louis bit down on his lip, and shifted his glare to the garden. He glared into the dark, and bit down harder. No, he would not be sharing _that._

"You just have to ignore him," Al advised. "As hard as it is. Scorpius has this way of _getting _to people. It's hard to explain, and I don't think I've quite worked it out myself. I think I'm immune to it or something. Or he just doesn't try it on me, whatever _it_ is exactly." He paused for a moment, thinking. "You just have to know that he's so easily bored and everything's a game to him. _Entertainment._ He'll build you up then tear you down and then head down to dinner. He just doesn't _care. _And he knows what makes people tick. He's just dangerous. He'll see through people's walls as if they're not even there, and he notices _everything. _He can get to anyone, they'll want to kill him or marry him or maybe both and he'll just_ laugh_."

Louis stared him for a long moment, thinking hard. He didn't know that Al Potter could get _deep._ A small part of him wondered if Al had given this speech before. "Why are you friends with him?" he asked eventually. Partly curious, partly just feeling that he had to say _something._

"Safer than being his enemy," Al replied, only half joking.

Louis wasn't really paying attention though. "I'm not letting him _get _to me," he said, suddenly defensive. "He just said one thing. It pissed me off. I reacted. End of story."

Al shook his head sadly, gazing out at the garden himself now. "It won't be, though," he said quietly.

"I think you're being a bit dramatic."

"You don't know him like I do," Al said, his tone serious. "You bit back, now welcome to the game." There was a note of finality to Al's tone, as if he was finally accepting something himself, and he kicked off the swing.

Louis stared after his cousin as he headed back towards the house. "This is ridiculous," he snapped, angrily.

"Just ignore him, alright," warned Al, stopping at the door. "Don't get involved; don't let him get to you. Just be careful." He walked in and slammed the door shut behind him.

Louis's eyes narrowed dangerously. The thing was he did _not _like being told what to do.

* * *

He was off the floor now. Dinner was over and everyone had headed into the other room. Al and Louis were outside and Scorpius was making to join them when Rose grabbed him by the wrist, pulled him into the deserted room behind her and slammed the door shut behind them.

"Wha-?" Scorpius began in protest before Rose shut him up by slamming a hand over his mouth and shoving him against the wall with her other hand.

"Shhh!" she hissed, but lowered her hand from his mouth. However she didn't step away. She was so, _so _close and Scorpius was really quite aware of it.

"You're awfully forward," he drawled, the moment he was free to do so.

"Will you shut _up_," Rose stressed, raising her wand in warning.

Scorpius's eyebrows flew to his hairline. "I'm sorry," he said, sounding quite the opposite. "I don't know if you're aware, but you've locked me in a room and pinned me to a wall. I _do_ apologise for holding some objections."

Rose pushed her wand into the base of Scorpius's neck, but otherwise ignored his comment. "I need you to do me a favour," she said.

"I'm not going to sleep with you."

Rose rolled her eyes, "Oh please, I'm not after _that_."

Scorpius's eyes trailed from her face that was barely inches from his and slowly down to her body that was still pressed against his. "You could've fooled me," he said, raising an eyebrow.

Rose lowered her wand and stepped back half a step and then- "Go out with me," she demanded suddenly.

For the first time since being forced into that room Scorpius looked shocked. "Uhh, _no_."

Rose rolled her eyes, _again. _"Not _really_ go out, Scorpius," she said, as if he was an idiot for even thinking so. "We just need to pretend."

"Oh! So it's like a _game_," cried Scorpius, sounding slightly hysterical, "How fun!"

"I just can't go back without someone, alright?" explained Rose. If she'd been anyone else but Rose she would've sounded embarrassed, or pleading. As it was she just sounded slightly exasperated. How did she always manage to make it sound like Scorpius was the unreasonable one?

"You've left it a little last minute," said Scorpius blandly, as if they were discussing homework. Rose just looked at him. Scorpius sighed. After a few moments he asked, "Are you trying to make someone jealous?"

Rose bit her lip, deliberating. "Yeah," she answered, although it was only partly true. Jealousy would just be a bonus. Actually she'd be _lucky _if he did feel jealous. A sick feeling crawled into her stomach and she forced back the memories, the emotions. _Focus, Rose._

"Well I can see why you chose me then."

Rose kicked at his foot, but not hard. "Will you do it then?" she asked in a small voice, looking up at Scorpius from under her eyelashes pleadingly. It was very _un-Rose_.

Scorpius looked at her. "Say please."

Rose glared, eyes narrowing. Well, that didn't last long. "Please," she said, her voice sickly sweet.

Scorpius stepped away from the wall, clearly wanting to take at least some control of this strange situation, and began pacing back and forth, thinking. "What's in it for me?" he asked after a while.

Rose was now leaning against the wall, arms folded casually, watching Scorpius. She grinned wryly at his question. "I thought you'd jump at a chance to shock the masses," she said. It was true; everyone knew that Scorpius Malfoy lived to cause a scene.

Scorpius thought of his father, and what he'd say if he even heard that his son was dating a _Weasley._ Then he thought of the _other _Weasley, and- "Yeah," he said, nodding, "I'll do it."


	6. Cloak Of Confidence

**Chapter 6: Cloak Of Confidence**

It was their first night back at school and Rose, surrounded by a bunch of other Gryffindors, had been about to enter the Great Hall for dinner when she was stopped unexpectedly. She jumped involuntarily as she felt an arm snake around her waist and a pair of lips press against the skin behind her ear. Scorpius Malfoy whispered "shhh," into her ear and Rose cursed herself. Cursed herself for forgetting, cursed herself for thinking it would be _him._

She forced a smile onto her face and turned around to face her 'boyfriend'. Knowing that everyone was watching she wrapped her own arm around his waist and kissed him softly, quickly. Knowing what it was that he was after, she turned to her friends. "Mind if we have a minute?" she asked, "I'll meet you inside."

Some of them where glaring, others smirking suggestively. The news had spread of their dating, much to Rose's delight. Less delightful was the strangely high proportion of people who'd claimed not to be surprised by the news. Like she would ever_. _Please, she had _standards. _

Ignoring her friends, Rose took Scorpius by the hand and led him away, not waiting for an answer. She only stopped once they were out of sight and earshot, dropping his hand right away.

Scorpius shoved his hands into his pocket and leant against the wall. "Right," he said, staring down at Rose. "How's this going to work?"

They'd started the act almost immediately after Scorpius had agreed to go along with it, the night before. It'd been during dessert in the silence that accompanies the eating of really good food when Rose had announced, quite casually and with a spoonful of ice-cream halfway to her mouth, "Scorpius and I are dating."

Even Scorpius had nearly choked on his pudding in shock. The uproar that erupted at this was even greater than when Scorpius had been blown from his chair earlier in the evening. They appeared to have forgotten that Scorpius was a) there, and b) actually quite accepted by them. Accepted, it appeared, as Al's best friend but _not_ as someone to date one of them. Or maybe it was just surprising; after all it couldn't have been expected, seeing as it wasn't even _real._

Scorpius, only slightly (_completely and utterly_) terrified of what Rose's dad was going to do, made sure to avoid all eye contact with him and instead looked away, turning his head to the left. Albus was sitting there, mouth hanging open, still holding a spoon halfway to his mouth. When he noticed Scorpius looking at him he seemed to snap back into reality and glared murderously at him. Scorpius gulped. _How could he have forgotten?_

Al had just told him a few hours ago that he wasn't allowed to be even _interested _in any of his cousins and now it appeared he was dating one. No wonder Al was mad. But Scorpius hadn't even thought about that, he hadn't even dreamt of the connection that Al could so easily make. Scorpius didn't care for Rose, like _that_ at least. He'd agreed to go along with Rose's little act, thinking that it wasn't a big deal at all. But Al didn't know it was just that -an act-and now it appeared that Scorpius had been hiding it from him the whole time.

Al Potter was _not _someone you'd want to be angry at you (and he looked beyond angry) but luckily he was also not one to cause a scene, and a scarily good actor. So when he got to his feet and shot Scorpius a particularly venomous stare before slipping towards the door. Scorpius knew straight away that Al wanted him to follow him. Usually that would be reason enough for Scorpius (who was by no means scared of Al) to stay right where he was. An irritated Al was always amusing and Scorpius would usually just flash an oblivious grin his way and watch Al fume at him in return. But an angry Al was not so amusing, and as much as they liked to rile each other up, they were still best mates and Scorpius was well aware of where the line between harmless teasing and downright cruelty was (at least most of the time). He really had some explaining to do. He sighed before getting to his feet and following Albus out of the room.

He was quite aware, as he rose from the table, of a certain pair of eyes looking right at him, the only one whose attention wasn't completely preoccupied by Rose. He bit down on his lip and turned away quickly, involuntarily, and it wasn't until he'd passed through the door and out of the room that he realised that he'd forgotten to send his usual teasing (flirting, he would've called it) smile their way.

He'd shoved the thought away quickly.

"What are you playing at?" Al had spat, the moment they were alone, his bright green eyes narrowed and flashing furiously.

Without even needing to think about it, Scorpius knew he would tell Al the truth. And he did. That was just how it was with them. The possibility of lying to Al didn't even cross his mind. Whatever you could say about each other as friends, about their constant fighting and mocking, sometimes playful, sometimes downright offensive, they were honest and loyal. …Well, to each other at least.

Scorpius eventually managed to calm Al down enough to get the story straight (wands, threats, and threats with wands may have been involved). Al had been confused at first and still a little angry, but it wore down quickly to exasperation. "That is so _typical,_" he had said, rolling his eyes. "Trust you two." He shook his head and sighed dramatically. "Great, just brilliant. How fucking fantastic."

Scorpius sent him his most charming smile. "You know you love us," he said, voice silky smooth, his eyes glinting wickedly.

Al whacked him swiftly over the back of the head.

It wasn't long then until he snapped into business mode, talking in what Scorpius considered to be his "Captain voice." He demanded to know the exact terms of their agreement and Scorpius had had to frown and tell him that he didn't even know.

That was why Scorpius was there the next day, demanding answers from a too flippant Rose. They worked it out eventually, though. They were to act like a couple in public and only Al knew (and could know) the truth.

There was only thing that Scorpius still wondered. He hesitated as he tried to work out how to word it. To anyone else he would've just said it straight out, with a sly smile and possibly -if he was feeling corny enough- a wink. Rose was different though. She was rather intimidating for someone so small and freckly and Scorpius was quite wary of her (she had after all, practically kidnapped him and shoved a wand into the base of his neck).

"What about," he said the next words delicately, "_other people?_ Am I allowed to…" he trailed off, knowing she'd catch the implication.

Rose's eyes widened and she grinned mischievously. "Other people?" she repeated, and her gleeful, somewhat teasing tone confirmed that she knew exactly what he meant. "Who are these 'other people' you have in mind?" she asked innocently.

_Just one person, _said a voice somewhere at the back of his mind, which Scorpius pointedly ignored.

"Contrary to your apparent belief, Rosie, you are not the only attractive girl in this castle."

Rose raised an eyebrow, eyes shining. "You think I'm attractive?" she said, sounding amused, and there was something in the way she said, so casual and teasing, that had Scorpius wanting to respond defensively.

"Stop getting distracted," he said, even though he'd gotten quite distracted from that matter at hand himself.

"I'm not," replied Rose, still grinning infuriatingly.

"Then answer the question," Scorpius countered. "And stop grinning. It's irritating."

"What was the question?" she asked, eyes widening innocently.

Scorpius looked annoyed. Rose appeared to be the only person capable of drawing a noticeable emotional reaction from him, even if it was just one of irritation. He opened his mouth to snap back a retort but she interrupted.

"Just kidding, I remember. I just want to know who you're interested in."

Scorpius felt his stomach drop. "I'm not," he said, continuing in that annoyed tone, "Wait- I didn't even say anything about anyone specific." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Rose laughed, and shrugged. "You didn't need to. Actually I wasn't even sure myself until you confirmed it for me just then." She grinned evilly and Scorpius narrowed his eyes, furious.

He didn't know what it was about Rose that got to him so much, but he always found himself biting back his irritation in her presence. And it just made it all the worse that she knew how easily she could bait him, that she _enjoyed _doing so. When he scowled she grinned, when he narrowed his eyes she laughed. Sometimes he was lucky and it'd play the other way around, but for the moment at least, Rose had the upper hand. For all their differences they were very much alike and they clashed, _hard._ So how was it that they ended up in this situation together? They both loved to push the boundaries, to wind other people up and neither could knock back a challenge. In each other it seemed, they met their match.

He would've retorted (if he could find the words) but Rose was speaking again. She seemed to have decided to let Scorpius off easily this time and brought the conversation back on track. "Yeah," she said, and Scorpius seemed to snap back into himself, "You can do whatever with whoever, we're not really together after all. But people need to think we are so just keep it discreet, and don't let them know the truth. You can just let them think you're cheating on me or whatever." She smirked, glancing at him sideways. "It is you after all, they won't be surprised."

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied in a mock haughty tone, "I am an extremely honourable person of outstanding moral fibre."

Rose snorted. "And I'm a hippogriff."

* * *

Lucy had barely stepped through the dormitory door when she was almost knocked over by a pair of arms being flung around her neck.

"Lucy!" the girl squealed.

Lucy laughed and hugged her back. "Cassie! Oh my god, how are you?"

Cassie just hugged her tighter. Lucy awkwardly patted her back in return. There was a dry laugh from the other side of the room. "Let the poor girl breathe Cassie, she's not even through the door yet." Lucy glanced over to see Norah Jones, the "sensible" one of the group, lounging back on her bed and shining her prefect badge casually. Lucy shot her a thankful grin and Norah winked back.

Cassie dropped her arms and stepped back, her eyes were shining brightly and she was practically –no, _literally- _jumping up and down with excitement. Lucy could tell she had _news. _So she shot a teasing smile at Cassie and made her way over to her own bed and flopped onto the covers. Ahh, it was good to be _home._

With a manic grin that just wouldn't disappear, Cassie followed Lucy over to her bed and jumped onto it herself. Lucy glanced over at Cassie. She was staring right at her, still beaming wildly. A small smile formed on Lucy's face and she closed her eyes, purposely ignoring her friend.

"Oh, go on, Lucy," said Norah, rolling her eyes. "Ask her what it is before she explodes."

Opening her eyes Lucy grinned. She rolled onto her side and propped her head up on her hands. "Darling Cassandra," she began,"Is there something you'd like to share with me?"

Lucy hadn't thought that it would be possible for Cassie to smile any wider, but it appeared it was. "Timothypetersaskedmeout," she gushed.

"Sorry, what?"

Cassie took a deep breath. "Timothy Peters asked me out," she repeated, slower this time although her eyes were shining. "And I said yes!"

"_Really?" _Lucy's tone was dry, a dark eyebrow raised.

Cassie frowned. "Don't get all sarcastic on me, Lucy Weasley," she said. "Aren't you happy for me?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Lucy, trying to smile convincingly, because she _was _happy for Cassie. The girl had been crushing on Tim for years after all but _really, _another friend with a boyfriend? Lucy was sure she'd be the only single one left soon. Which as much as she wished it didn't bother her, did.

Seemingly disappointed with Lucy's response Cassie quickly turned the attention off herself to hide her embarrassment. "I'm not the only one with news," she grinned, shooting a pointed look at Norah who blushed lightly.

Norah? _Blushing_? This must be something. Lucy turned her now eager eyes on the prefect and raised an eyebrow in question.

Norah averted her eyes, focussing once again on cleaning the already shiny clean badge (and since when had she ever cared about _wearing_ the badge, let alone having it polished, Lucy wondered). "I slept with Lukas," she said lightly.

Lucy's eyebrows skyrocketed to her hairline yet her heart plummeted in her chest. _And she hadn't even kissed a guy._ "Oh wow, err… congratulations," she managed to say eventually.

Norah rolled her eyes, shaking her head fondly. "You're so awkward, Lucy."

Lucy laughed but oh Merlin, it was so true. She was going to be alone forever.

Luckily, she was saved from having to try to summon a proper response by the arrival of more of their dorm mates bursting through the door.

"Good news," said Rorie Jenkins by way of introduction (oh no, not _another)_, "I think Louis Weasley is _finally _taller than me." Part of Lucy sighed in relief and she laughed in amusement. Rorie wasn't even _that _tall, but she had an obsession with height. She hated it when guys were taller than her (and the guys here are all _far too short_ –her words, not Lucy's_). _"I saw him in the corridor earlier and I think he's got a good inch or so on me now."

"Oh my god, Rorie, can you _please _refrain from stalking my cousins!"

"Lucy darling, everyone here is your cousin. If I can't stalk your cousins than who _can_ I stalk?"

"I only have four male cousins!" exclaimed Lucy, uselessly, as conversation had already moved on. She rolled her eyes and burrowed her head into the covers, as the excited conversation around her continued around her. Usually she'd be as much a part of the animated discussion as any of them but something felt different, although everyone seemed much the same, and she closed her eyes, hugged her pillow to her and just listened quietly.

* * *

Louis was interrupted on his way to his dormitory, as he passed through the Ravenclaw common room, shortly after he arrived back at school. Four of his fellow sixth years sat on the armchairs by the fire. Sammy Fawcett, a pretty, friendly girl waved to him as he passed. "Hi Louis!" she beamed. Her boyfriend, Ryan Gelding, tightened his arm around her waist possessively and glared at Louis through narrowed eyes. Alex Montgomery was pointedly avoiding any eye contact, and instead appeared to be examining the midnight blue carpet as if it was the most interesting thing he'd seen all day.

Louis stifled a laugh; a part of him would always find it funny how most guys considered him a _threat. _If only they knew…

Sammy's best friend, Kate Lowsley who sat on Sammy's other side, echoed her friend's smile but her's was softer, shyer. "Hey," she said.

Louis gave what was meant to be a friendly nod in their direction yet appeared, he was sure, like some sort of head spasm. Inwardly cringing at his own awkwardness he forced a smile their way and continued on towards the spiral staircase, tripping over his own feet slightly.

Upon reaching the sixth year boy's dorm, Louis pushed through the heavy wooden door and was greeted by a familiar sight. Once he would of smiled as he took the sight of his big, comfortable four poster bed, the floor to ceiling bookcases that framed the walls of the circular room and best of all, the large bay window that provide the stunning view of the Black Lake and surrounding mountain range but now the sight was too familiar, too confining; the same old.

Timothy Peters looked up from where he was rummaging through his trunk and smiled the smile that had always used to make Louis's heart race. Things were different now, though, and Louis could smile back easily. They exchanged polite greetings as Louis made his way over to his own bed. Tim was the only one of his dorm mates that Louis talked to regularly and genuinely felt comfortable around, but Tim was quite popular and had plenty of his own friends so they really didn't speak that often. Conversation was easy enough with him though, although it died down after a minute or so.

"Where's-?" Louis began a little while later, looking around, before his question was answered by a loud yowl and a furry form flying down towards him. He cried out and ducked, reaching out to cover his head with his hands. He wasn't quick enough though and it landed upon the top of his head, claws scratching his face. "Bloody cat!" he spluttered, pulling it into his arms. Pebbles nuzzled into the crook of his neck, purring affectionately.

Tim was staring at him, eyebrows raised. "That thing is mental," he stated.

Louis hummed in agreement, his attention on his cat. "He's gorgeous," he cooed, scratching the delighted cat under the chin as it purred contently.

Tim rolled his eyes with a knowing smile that Louis didn't see, as the door opened and more people filled in. Bryce Arnold was fretting about homework, _already. _Louis scowled at the mere reminder and fell back onto his bed with a sigh. Pebbles curled up on his chest.

Bryce started listing the classes he had the next day and Louis picked at a loose thread in the bedspread with more force than was probably necessary.

Classes, homework, sleep: the same old routine.

He was bored already.

* * *

Al reached the Slytherin table alone, after being abandoned at the doors to the Great Hall by Scorpius who disappeared after Rose.

Al knew very well that Scorpius and Rose were only pretending to be dating, but that didn't mean he was entirely happy with the situation. The two of them were trouble enough on their own and he shuddered at the thought of them together, but he knew better than to try to tell either of them what to do. In the end he was left with no real choice but to just deal with it.

He didn't like being left there alone either, not that he'd ever admit to it. He was uncomfortable and far too aware of the stares he was attracting as he took his lonely seat. He reacted to his discomfort the only way he ever seemed to be able to; coldly. He narrowed his eyes in a glare that had some nearby first years scurrying out of his way as slipped down onto the bench. He automatically felt bad but he pushed the feeling down. They shouldn't stare.

Al received enough stares as it was but it was even worse on the rare occasions when Scorpius wasn't there beside him. Or did it just feel that way? Could he not cope on his own?Scorpius lapped up the attention, whether positive or negative, while Al preferred to hide in his shadow.

Al wished he could react to these situations the way his brother James did so naturally; with a friendly grin and a confident ruffle of his messy hair. The younger students loved James and looked up to him with awed respect. Al on the other hand, along with Scorpius, was regarded with terrified fascination. While James was warm and inviting, Albus was cold and withdrawn. It was obvious who they liked more.

Al and Scorpius were a curious, yet formidable pair; the son of the saviour of the world and the son of a Death Eater. The younger students would stare and whisper about them behind their backs but would cower under a single look from either of them. Most would never dare attempt to converse with them. Al felt alienated from most of the student body, as if he was always an arms length away. It was pretty much just the two of them in their own little world but it suited Al just fine. They could say and do just about whatever they liked, not needing to worry about consequences or what people thought. They were inaccessible, untouchable. But when Scorpius was gone Al felt as if the bubble had been burst, his confidence shattered. As if he'd fallen back to Earth and his senses had been returned and he was left far too aware of the eyes and the voices, their pressure upon him. He felt pathetic and weak.

Scorpius wasn't the only person Al liked to hide behind though. Best friends were one thing, girlfriends were a whole other.

There was someone else, a cloak of confidence and acceptance that he slipped into whenever he was blessed with her presence. She could make him forget his problems as easily as she could cause them.

He scanned the long length of the table, his heart rate increasing at the mere thought of her. It only took a moment for him to find her, his green eyes fixing on her face as automatically as breathing. Jessamine Zabini. _Jez. _Long dark hair, brown eyes flashing bright, perfect make-up, blinding white teeth, tight uniform, loosely hung Slytherin tie; Al's breath caught in his throat.

She must have felt his eyes on her for she turned to face him. She grinned deviously when his eyes met her's and Al was able to forget the world again. He hadn't even noticed he'd done it but he'd slid down the bench across where the first years had been previously and stopped once opposite her. "Jez," he greeted, a smile unfurling from the corners of his mouth.

"Potter," she replied. Her voice was light, seductive and she was smiling too. She learned towards him in an action he mirrored. Her slim, pale hands reached for the hair at the nape of his neck, her fingers tangling into his thick, dark hair and she pulled him towards her, greeting him with a kiss far too inappropriate for a school dinner.

* * *

Rose entered the doors of the Great Hall very conscious of the arm around her waist and the hundreds of eyes upon her, upon _them._

She felt uncomfortable being so close to him. Acting in this affectionate manner, his arm around her, their bodies touching; it just wasn't right. As must as she'd been trying to maintain this friendly, flirty manner, it was still just an act and she was finding it hard to breathe, each breathe feeling like her last; dry, painful. She faked a laugh even though Scorpius hadn't spoken and they stopped in between the two middle tables; Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, a few feet from the back wall. Rose made sure her eyes didn't meet Scorpius's even as she stood facing him, too scared of what she'd see in them. She could almost feel him judging her. Her stomach clenched and she felt pathetic, oh so pathetic. And then she did the one thing she'd told herself not to do. She looked -not at Scorpius- at _him._

He was staring right at the two of them, his brow furrowed slightly but his expression unreadable. She felt like she was going to cry. This was so pathetic, so stupid. He'd see right through their act, she knew he would. Or even worse, he wouldn't even care enough to give it a second thought. Rose wanted nothing more than to run from the room, from the school even. But she was a Gryffindor. She was brave. Or at least she needed to be.

She could go with Scorpius she knew, join him and her cousin Al at the Slytherin table, even if technically that wasn't allowed (not the first night back at least). She could cower under Scorpius's arm, let them be her distraction and at all costs avoid any eye contact with _him._

But she was sick of acting cowardly, appearing pathetic. She was sick of regretting every choice she made, sick of always running away. So she did what she knew she should; parted with Scorpius, and walked alone to her own table with her head held high, back to where she belonged. She could face the disapproving and taunting housemates, laugh with her friends and let him see that she was just _fine._


	7. Fairy God Mother

**Chapter 7: Fairy God Mother**

Lying to yourself isn't healthy, but Louis never had done well at doing what was good for him. He woke up as everyone else in his dorm was leaving, took his time getting ready, then told himself it was too late to go down to breakfast and walked to his first class alone. It was nothing unusual for him.

His shoes sloshed in the wet grass and mud and he wrapped his Ravenclaw scarf around himself tightly as he made his way down to Care of Magical Creatures. He was the first to arrive, to no real surprise. He glanced around before pulling himself up onto the branch of a nearby tree. He sat leaning against the tree's trunk, staring out across the picturesque grounds, enjoying the silence, the solitude.

It was a bright sunny day and the air was crisp and cold while the light was more harsh than warming. His breath came out in a cloud of fog which he blew out slowly, watching it float above him with some amusement.

"Not smoking, are you?" came a familiar voice. There was the sound of footsteps cracking against twigs and Teddy Lupin came into view. "Because I think I'd probably have to do something about it and I really do have very little faith in the strength of my disciplinal abilities."

Louis grinned. "No, but I am hiding a collection of highly illegal magical creatures under my bed."

Teddy groaned and covered his face with his hands, "No, don't tell me that!"

Louis laughed and Teddy removed his hands from his face and smiled lightly. But then his expression flickered, his face growing serious.

"How's your sister?" he asked, sounding cautious.

Louis's expression changed too. "Which one?" he asked roughly, although he was well aware of the answer.

Teddy sighed. "She knows I'm sorry, right?" he asked, biting down on his lip.

"To be honest, Ted, I don't think she really cares."

No flash of hurt crossed Teddy's face, his eyes just flickered a sad blue and he stuffed his hands into his pocket. "It just- it wasn't really working. I just didn't feel about her like that anymore…"

"I know," said Louis, sounding irritated. "I know, she knows. Why are you telling me this?"

Teddy frowned slightly, "I just wanted to make sure she's okay."

"She's fine, she's brilliant. Possibly better now." Louis defended his oldest sister fiercely, even though he knew -they _both _knew- that he was lying.

Teddy could have so easily said something then, and he opened his mouth as if he was about to do so before closing it and nodding once. His hair, today a fine shade of purple, fell into his eyes. Louis looked away, hoping he could take a hint and leave. He'd always liked Teddy, but he had broken Victoire's heart and Louis's loyalty was, first and foremost, to his sister.

It seemed however, that Louis didn't need to worry about driving Teddy away. "Hello, cousin!" called a mocking voice, and Teddy spun around. His golden eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of the cocky, grinning Slytherin walking towards them. Apparently being somewhat distantly blood related wasn't enough to lessen Teddy's dislike of Scorpius Malfoy.

Louis hugged his legs up to his chest and buried his head in his arms. It was far, far too early for this. With some sort of vague optimism Louis hoped that if he just ignored the two people in front of him (who were now exchanging curt, narrow eyed greetings) then they'd go away and he would be left alone again.

Unfortunately, he wasn't so lucky. A few moments later he heard a scraping noise and felt someone pull themselves up the tree and onto the branch besides him. He lifted his head an inch or so, clearing his vision. Scorpius swore lightly, brushed bark of his robes and turned to face Louis, grinning. Louis let his head fall back down with a thud. Subconsciously he tensed, remembering the events of the night before and expecting more taunts.

All Scorpius did though was say "I got rid of him for you."

Louis's head shot up in alarm. "Not permanently, I hope?"

"Yes, I killed him," said Scorpius, shifting on the branch. Louis could've sworn he heard it creak under their shared weight.

Not particularly wanting to fall to his early death (tumbling from a tree branch was most certainly not a dramatic enough way for a Weasley to die) and far too aware of their close proximity, his head still swimming with suspicion as a result of Al's words, Louis stretched and reached up to the branch above the one on which they were currently perched and pulled himself to his feet. "I have to congratulate you on your body hiding skills," he replied idly, before pulling himself up onto the branch above. "I see not a single sign giving the job away, and so hastily done too. I'd be impressed but I'm sure you Slytherins have been learning how to do that since first year."

"You'd be surprised," replied Scorpius, "Even Professor Nott objects to the murder and subsequent burying of fellow students. Believes it's not to be encouraged or something."

"Outrageous," commented Louis.

Scorpius's grey eyes were upon Louis as he pulled himself further up the tree, so that he was several branches above Scorpius. His expression was quizzical and the way his eyebrows knitted together was almost _adorable. _Which certainly was not a word often used to describe _Scorpius Malfoy, _of all people_._ His eyes widened considerably however as Louis leaped from one branch to another several feet away. "What are you?" he asked incredulously, "Part cat?"

Louis's face lit up. "I wish," he said, finally settling near the top of the tree. He kicked back into a position as comfortable as you could get when perched upon a branch.

Scorpius arched an eyebrow artfully, "You want to be part cat?"

Louis pulled a twig of the branch above him and twirled it idly around in his hands, his eyes focussed upon the motion. "I want to _be_ a cat."

"Why?"

Louis grinned, a smile that lit up his whole face. His blue eyes were sparkling when he looked up. "Well for one," he began, clambering to his feet so he stood upon the branch, wavering slightly, "I could do this-" he leaped off the branch, causing Scorpius to suck in a sharp intake of breath, and fell to the ground. He landed upon his feet, knees bent, but stumbled and rolled onto his back. He stared up at Scorpius, who looked horrified, and smiled. "-and land much more gracefully than that."

"Are you trying to kill yourself?" asked Scorpius angrily, before he could stop himself.

"Maybe," replied Louis vaguely, getting to his feet. With a flick of his wand he vanished the mud from his robes and glanced over towards the castle. The rest of their class appeared to on their way down. Breakfast must have been over.

"Okay," said Scorpius, as if nothing had happened, "Cats have that whole nine lives thing, and they always land on their feet and have fuzzy little faces and are all floppy and can jump really high, so I see where you're coming from, but if I was an animal I'd be something way more kick-ass. Like a dragon, or a giant African land snail."

Louis laughed. "A snail?" he asked, disbelieving.

"A giant African land snail," Scorpius corrected. "You know how you kill one of those? _With a flame thrower_. What part of that isn't totally badass?"

Louis snorted. "The part where it's a _snail, _maybe?_"_

Scorpius stretched his long legs out and flicked his blond hair out of his face. He barely wobbled even though he was perched precariously upon the branch, Louis noted with some envy. "You really can't insult me Weasley; you're the one who wants to be a _cat."_

"Al told me not to talk to you," Louis blurted out suddenly, tearing his eyes away from the boy in front of him.

He could still see Scorpius however, out of the corner of his eye. Scorpius frowned slightly but then his face straightened out. "You're not doing a very good job of it," he commented, sliding out of the tree as their classmates approached.

Louis found himself again thinking of Al's words from the night before. Who did Al think he was, warning Louis against Al's own best friend? Did Louis really come across that pathetic? Did Al really think he couldn't handle himself? Louis didn't like Albus giving him warnings like he _needed _them, like Al knew all_. _Why was he so bloody intense about everything all the time? There was something about the way that he was always so serious, so self-righteous, that drove Louis mad. When Al told him to do something, Louis's automatic reaction was to do the complete opposite. It always had been. But it also made him curious; Albus was a Slytherin and _always_ had an ulterior motive. He may genuinely believe that he was doing the right thing yet he would also think that nobody else would understand, or maybe just no one else needed to know. He kept things to himself and you could never quite be sure what he really wanted. Louis was a Ravenclaw; a thinker, and Albus's words were a cryptic code that he had to puzzle out.

But Louis was also a Weasley. They were not ones to sit down and talk through a problem and Louis was no different. Albus didn't want him to do something? He'd do it, and find out just why he was so against it. It was brash, yet it worked. It wasn't a conscious thing; Louis didn't go out of his to annoy his cousin. He just had an insatiable curiosity, a habit for pushing situations to the edge. He took what Albus said as an insult of types, a challenge. Al thought that Scorpius would _get _to him? What did that even mean? Did he think that Louis was weak? That Scorpius could just _destroy_ him if he wanted to? So Scorpius thought everything was a game, yeah, well Louis was willing to play. If Al thought he was just going to surrender then he was in for a surprise. Maybe Louis didn't care either. His life was dull, he had nothing to lose.

Maybe it seemed odd at the moment, after all Scorpius was being perfectly pleasant, but really that just put Louis more on edge. He'd always had a certain taste for danger though, and an undying irritation at his dark-haired, green-eyed cousin's words.

Louis pulled a face. "I don't have to do what he tells me to do," he said. It was easier to get the words out when he wasn't looking at Scorpius, easier to be brave.

He was someone who longed for excitement yet never seemed to attract it. Any sort of drama was a break from the days' monotonous tone and he pounced on it. He wanted to be bolder, and so he tried.

Scorpius grinned. His smile flashed as bright and dangerous as a knife. "No," he said, "you don't."

Scorpius slid out of the tree as the rest class approached. He leant against tree trunk and crossed his arms over his chest, looking the very picture of casual and at ease. Louis hung about awkwardly nearby, burying his hands deep into his pockets as the class gathered around them, chatting together in small groups. The class was mostly made up of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, leaving Louis and Scorpius a bit on the outer.

Louis was glad when the class started and he was provided with the distraction of their professor rambling on about what they'd learnt last term and then what they'd be doing now. His mind had been only partly on what was being said -after all he had heard it all before- but he was yanked back to attention at the mention of two dreaded words: _Partner project_.

At this most of the class erupted into whispers -mostly pleased ones- as they fought friendlily amongst themselves as to who would work with who. Louis stared up at the sky, pointedly avoiding any eye contact and inwardly panicking over who he could work with.

Professor Williams started explaining the assignment, talking about how it would last them the next few months and would be as important, and possibly more so, than their exam. The dread Louis was feeling increased a little more with each word. He much preferred working independently and did not like the idea of having to rely on another person, whoever they might be.

The basic gist of the project, he picked up under his worry, was that each partnership would be given a magical creature to find out as much as possible about, through both research from books and practical observations. This sounded easy enough. That is until Louis caught onto the fact that him and their partner would be caring for their creature for the length of a month. Not so easy.

It wasn't until Isabelle Griffin -a dark haired Gryffindor- actually called across the group to Hufflepuff Josh Roach, asking him to be her partner, that Professor Williams seemed to catch onto what her class's attention was really focused upon. When she did she grinned almost evilly. "Oh," she said, "You didn't think you'd be choosing your partners, did you?"

The chorus of groans in reply seemed to signify just that. Louis seemed to be the only one who didn't mind. At least he'd get a partner that way.

Professor Williams ignored the strew of complaints being thrown her way and clapped her hands together in a down-to-business type of way. "Alright team," she said, for she was the type of teacher to speak like that (although when she said it her voice was laced with mocking sarcasm). "Let's do this."

She looked around the class, examining each of them critically.

The girl in front of Louis whispered to her friend, "She's not just making this up as she goes, is she?"

The girl's -and Louis's- suspicions were as good as confirmed when Professor Williams clicked her fingers in Isabelle's direction, saying "Okay, you there, go with whatshername and umm, you with the beanie, pair up with pigtail girl."

It went on like that. Scarf-y was paired with Curly-haired, Hair Bow with Nail Varnish, Giant with Shortie and so on.

The numbers were certainly dwindling, Louis noticed, as each person stepped out to meet their new partners, laughing at their nicknames and trying not to look too pleased -or too displeased- with whom they'd been paired with, and he still hadn't been selected. He knew who else hadn't been too. His heart beat a bit too rapidly inside his chest and he tried to look disinterested.

Seventeen seconds later –not that Louis was counting- Professor Williams opened her mouth and said, "-and that just leaves the two suspicious looking blonds at the back."

"Suspicious looking?" scoffed Scorpius. "How offensive. I'll have you know I come from the most respectable of families."

Most of the class laughed at this, even the professor's mouth turned up slightly at the corners. "I know all about your family, Mr Malfoy," she said.

Scorpius grinned, eyes sparkling with mischievous energy. He knew exactly what was implied with that simple sentence yet really didn't seem to care. To him there was just the exciting chance of an argument and as he opened his mouth to retort Louis couldn't help but think that with him as his partner this was going to be a long couple of months.

* * *

Lucy had woken up that morning in a much better mood than she'd gone to bed in the night before and was now smiley and awake. It was amazing that they all still had things to talk about, she thought, as they laughed over breakfast, after they'd stayed up so late the night before, chatting aimlessly. Her first class of the day went well as well, so Lucy was cheery as she made her way to Charms, recounting the tale of when Granddad Weasley accidentally burned down the letterbox (why he had one was ridiculous enough in itself, seeing as he, like most other witches and wizards, relied purely on owl post) to much laughter from her friends.

The laughter turned to giggles as James Potter and his mates were spotted walking towards them. Lucy rolled her eyes. James stuck his tongue out at her and winked at the other girls who dissolved into a giggling heap. Lucy pulled a face at her cousin in return and James laughed good naturedly as the two groups passed by each other.

Lucy looked down, her dark hair falling into her face, blocking her view of the corridor. It took only that moment for someone to bump into her, knocking the books she'd been carrying out of her hand and to the floor.

"I'm so sorry!" exclaimed a voice.

Lucy was already smiling. "Don't worry about it," she said, and pushed her long locks back behind her ear.

It was lucky she'd already answered eloquently enough, as all words were lost to her when she looked up into concerned brown eyes in a handsome face framed by soft brow curls.

"Here," William Taylor, a friend of James's said, bending pick up her books. He placed them back in her arms and Lucy felt herself blush red. She could hear her friends giggling and she felt a small stab of irritation boil up inside her.

She ducked her head in an embarrassed gesture and muttered, "Thanks," taking back the books.

"No problem," Will grinned, "I'll see you around, yeah?"

Lucy specifically heard James exclaim "ooooh!" his voice cheeky at the least. She shot him a venomous glare, which he returned by making a heart with his hands and grinning obnoxiously. She tried to scowl at him in return but broke it off by laughing.

"Sure," she said to Will, smiling still. Silently she was thanking Merlin that she'd been in such a good mood that her body was able to carry on normally without any direction from her brain, for she was certainly not thinking as clearly as she was talking.

She re-joined her friends, sending them the most fearsome warning look she could manage, daring them to even try to say something. To her great relief they just grinned cheekily at her, raising their eyebrows suggestively until she elbowed those nearest to her in the ribs and glared. Then they only did it behind her back.

Their silence only lasted out until they rounded the next corner, onto the Charms corridor, where they burst out laughing and teasing in the way only real friends can. Lucy rolled her eyes and half-heartedly told them to stop as they lined up outside their class, while maybe, just maybe, trying to pretend that she wasn't enjoying it just a little.

Charms was the same as usual; nothing really exciting. Lucy concentrated on not taking out anyone's eye as she summoned and multiplied in one complicated maneuver as instructed.

Louis was focussing a bit too hard on his spell, trying to ignore Blair Parkinson batting her eyelids to one side of him and Matthew Davies droning on about how awful Ravenclaw's Seeker was on the other, in an extremely un-subtle attempt to convince Louis to replace the Seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team.

Al's mind was also on Quidditch although really, there was nothing unusual there. He was whispering furiously at -you really couldn't say _to_- his Keeper, who was looking ready to curse Al, about game techniques with his usual serious-eyed intensity. Al's girlfriend, Jez Zabini, sat on the top of the desk beside him, looking bored and filing her nails with the edge of her wand.

Rose and Scorpius were in the row behind the Slytherins, trying to look like they weren't arguing under their breath.

"You should ask Will to the next Hogsmede trip," suggested Cassie, eyes glinting gleefully as she grinned over at Lucy.

Lucy lost control over the objects she was charming, sending about half of them flying across the room. Her hand flew to cover her mouth and she gasped in almost-horror as they bounced against the blond head of her cousin.

She ran over to Louis, exclaiming apologetically. "I am _so sorry_!"

"That's alright," he smiled, bending over to help Lucy as she scrambled to pick them up.

Cassie had followed Lucy across the room. "This feels familiar," she said with a laugh, watching Lucy and Louis, "Except there's probably less chance of a snog in this for you, Lu."

Lucy glared, getting back to her feet. Louis just looked confused.

"Err, that's Lu-cy. Not Lou-is," supplied Cassie. "Merlin, your names are similar."

"Who are you snogging?" Louis asked Lucy, sliding the objects into her arms.

"No one," replied Lucy adamantly at the same time Cassie answered, "William Taylor."

Lucy glared at Cassie once again. "No one," she repeated. "Someone's getting a bit ahead of themselves." She gave Cassie a pointed look.

"Pshh," the other Hufflepuff said, rolling her eyes. "It's only a matter of time."

Now Lucy couldn't help but smile widely. "Only if I'm lucky," she grinned.

Louis was biting down on his lip, looking uncertain. "Lucy," he said, somewhat nervously, "You do know he's…"

He trailed off. Lucy had already turned away from him, and was giggling with Cassie. Louis rolled his eyes and turned away himself. Well, if she didn't want to listen…

* * *

It was a relatively new system that Hogwarts had introduced; a large shared room where students had to go to during their free periods to study. The room where Louis was currently sitting at a table by himself, Transfiguration book open in front of him, was open to all houses but limited to sixth and seventh years. The entire operation was intended to reduce the gaps between the four houses and ensure that all essays and other homework assignments were completed on time.

He'd barely started working when Rose and Scorpius trudged in, looking rather uncomfortable together for boyfriend-and-girlfriend. Rose glanced around the room and upon spotting Louis, made her way over towards him. Scorpius trailed behind.

"Mind if we sit here?" Rose asked with a friendly smile, something that Louis always thought looked out of place on her.

Scorpius slid into the seat next to the one Rose stood behind before Louis could answer and slammed his books down onto the table. He stared woefully at how large the pile was.

Louis nodded at Rose. "Sure," he said simply, returning his eyes to the page in front of him. Part of him was nervous about what Scorpius was going to say or do. He needn't have worried though, as the three of them workd in silence until James approached them, dragging Al behind him almost literally.

"What do you know about Jez Zabini?" James asked, slamming his books onto the table and sliding into the seat next to Rose.

Al flopped into the seat next to his brother and crossed his arms over his chest, looking annoyed.

Rose didn't look up from her book. "Skanky Slytherin bitch," she answered frankly.

James put his hand over Al's mouth, cutting off whatever angry retort he was about to snarl at Rose. "No, apart from that."

It seemed that Al had bit at James's fingers for the next second James was reeling back, clutching his hand. "Just a joke, just a joke!" he cried defensively. He turned to Rose and added seriously (although his blue eyes were sparkling with their usual humour), "Now Rose, I don't think Al appreciates you talking about his girlfriend like that."

Rose's eyes widened in surprise. "Girlfriend? Al!" She then frowned puzzlingly. "But I thought she liked Louis?"

All eyes turned to Louis who sat there, wide-eyed. Al's eyes were narrowed venomously and he looked fit to kill. Louis groaned and buried his head in his hands, hoping that the floor would open up and swallow him.

James rolled his eyes, opening up his Potions textbook at random. "She's dating Al now, Rosie," he said. "Keep up."

Rose shot Al a skeptical look, "Really Al? _Her?_ You could do so much better."

"You're one to talk," replied Al irritably, jerking his head in Scorpius's direction.

"I am _right here, _you know," said Scorpius, "Can you at least wait until I've left the room to bitch about me. I hear it's the usual protocol."

"Believe it or not, Scorpius," said Rose, "We don't just sit around all day discussing you."

Scorpius snorted. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Okay, okay," interrupted James, before wands could be brought out, "Can we get back on topic, please."

"And what would that topic even be?" asked Scorpius, quite reasonably.

"Yeah," said Rose, agreeing with him for once. "Why are you even here, James?"

James grinned. "Don't sound like that, Rosie. You should be grateful that I am blessing you with my presence. Today is a wonderful day for you all!"

Rose shot him a look_. _"Grateful?" she repeated, "I think 'worried' is the word you're after. I know you wouldn't be here unless you wanted to meddle about in our lives."

James was caught. "Oh, but it's so fun!" he exclaimed, sounding like a small, excitable child as he threw his hands into the air expressively. "You're all like my little children!" He grinned around at them all and was met with four stony expressions. "Oh come on, I'm doing you a favour. I am here to get your love lives on track."

This was met with a range of reactions. All of which James ignored.

"Hush now," said James, raising a hand in warning. "I am like your fairy godmother. Except significantly more manly."

James ignored the snorts of disbelief at that last past.

"Nevertheless!" he cried, although there had been no (voiced) arguments. He countered off on his fingers. "Al's got a hot girlfriend, I have the beautiful Janey, Scorpius has Rose-"

At this Rose sent a rude gesture James's way without even looking up from her book.

"-What about you, Louis?"

Louis froze. Scorpius was grinning at him, eyes sparkling knowingly. Louis wanted to throw his book at him.

He resisted. Instead he said the first thing that came into his head (which really was never a smart thing to do). "I'm engaged."

Scorpius roared with laughter. James shot Louis a pitying look. "No, you are not." he said simply.

"Louis could get a girlfriend if he wanted to," said Rose, "He hardly needs _your_ help."

"I don't know what that's supposed to mean," replied James haughtily. "But I am offended nonetheless."

"I don't think he could," said Al, whose glare under his dark messy fringe screamed that he was just looking to pick a fight.

Louis, annoyed enough with his moody cousin after his lecture the night before, shot him a look. "Do you want to bet?" he asked cooly.

James's eyes were glowing with excitement. "Ooh," he said. "You don't need me _do you?"_

"Alright," said Al. "Ask someone out right now."

"Who?" asked Louis, accepting the challenge readily. Al had said there was a game. Maybe he was wrong about the players. "Go on. Pick someone."

Al surveyed the room for options, probably looking for the worst person possible, Louis couldn't help but worry (although it wasn't as if Louis would be into anyone Al picked, _really_). Internally he was regretting his decision already. He was a Ravenclaw, shouldn't he be able to think before speaking?

"Are you sure you don't need my help, Lou?" asked James worriedly.

"I am perfectly capable," replied Louis, faintly annoyed with this lack of faith. Great, apparently he was a loser with no social skills, as everyone appeared to be suggesting.

"I don't think he can do it," Al said, as if it was final. He turned to Louis. "You don't have the guts."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're awful with girls, admit it. That's why you've never had a girlfriend. You can't talk to them."

"I could think of other reasons," supplied Scorpius, his eyes sparkling gleefully. He had been watching the entire exchange with the type of enthusiastic expression one might display at a particularly exciting Quidditch match, his eyes flitting between Al and Louis.

Al shot Scorpius an annoyed look then continued his tirade on Louis. "I've seen you," he said, "You can barely say more than a word or two."

James glared across at his brother. "Could you try _not _being a colossal twat, Al, for once in your life?"

"He can't help it," said Rose, with a roll of her eyes. "You should know that by now."

"I do," said James passionately, "He's a-"

Louis's stomach had sunk for a moment there, thinking the 'he can't help it,' had been referring to himself. It increased his desire to prove himself.

"It's okay," he said calmly, cutting James off before an infamous Potter-brother brawl could break out. He stared Al straight in the eye. "Would you like me to prove you wrong?"

Al adjusted his green-and-silver tie, staring straight back at Louis. "I'd like you to try," he challenged.

"I think this calls for a bet," grinned James, sensing how he could turn this situation to his advantage (ie. entertainment with the possible advantage of money making). "If Louis can work the Veela-Weasley charm he must be hiding within him somewhere, and secure himself a girlfriend right here and now, Al will…" he trailed off, motioning in Al's direction for him to complete his sentence.

Al appeared to be thinking it over. "He can't just ask her out," he said, "He has to prove he can keep her. Until Hogsmede weekend at least."

"Okay good," nodded James. "A time and a place. Louis must acquire a girlfriend now, and take her on a Hogsmede date then. If he succeeds Al will-"

"-Why should I have to do anything?" Al interrupted. "Aren't we doing him a favour? We're practically getting him a girlfriend. It's hardly an awful burden he has to bear. Can't you just file this under 'A Gift From Your Fairy Godmother" like you did when you _forced _Fred to audition for Quidditch back in third year when he was _absolutely terrified_?"

"That was doing him a favour," said James. "Look at him now, he's a star!"

"Exactly," agreed Al, showing some fine skills in the way of Slytherin cunning and manipulation. "And we're doing Louis a favour, helping him find the confidence to get himself a nice girlfriend."

Louis saw right through what Al was trying to do; slither his way out of committing to a bet, but James seemed to be buying it.

Louis wanted to cut in, _'but I don't even want a girlfriend,' _but he really didn't want to face answering the dreaded _'why?'. _He considered just coming out with it, but when he opened his mouth the words just died in his throat. _Just like they always did._

Rose was muttering angrily about it all just sounding like a business deal, and it "not being fair on the girl."

Privately, Louis agreed. Everyone else ignored her, though, and he didn't speak up.

James appeared to have come to a decision. "Alright," he said, "Show us what you can do, Louis." He gestured to the room at wide.

"Err…"

"Oh, we need to pick someone for you, don't we?"

Louis nodded, ignoring how his gut was squirming nervously. _What was he getting himself into?_

"How about-" Al began, eyes glinting wickedly.

"Uh-uh," tutted James. "Fairy godmother gets to make the all-important decision." He stared around the room, stroking his non-existent goatee thoughtfully. Everyone, even Rose, watched him, following the path of his eyes with theirs.

"How about her," he suggested, pointing. "Short skirt, long hair, mostly obscured by the book case."

"That's Al's girlfriend," said Rose, shooting a cautious Al's way.

"Oh, of course," said James, hurriedly moving on. "What about her?" he asked, swinging his arm around in a motion that nearly took Al's head off, obviously trying for random selection.

Rose looked horrified. "She's yours!"

"I …totally knew that."

Rose rolled her eyes. "What about her?" she asked, nodding towards a girl with a long braid of red-brown hair standing amongst a group of other girls near the entrance. "The pretty Hufflepuff. I think her name's Rorie Jenkins. She's nice."

Al looked like he was hoping someone more challenging than "nice" would be selected. Louis decided he'd better accept Rose's option before he was forced onto one of the Bullstroads.

"I'll do it," he said, getting to his feet. "Do you want to come with me, Al? Be ready to catch me when I _faint from nerves._" He said the last bit sarcastically.

"I think I'll stay here," answered Al. He flicked his wand across his fingers nimbly. "I'll be ready with a cushioning charm though, don't you worry."

Louis forced an overly friendly, overly fake smile at his obnoxious cousin before crossing the room.

Inwardly Louis smirked with satisfaction at the surprised looks from the four left at the table as he seamlessly integrated himself into the Hufflepuffs' conversation. He could do this kind of thing, he just chose not too.

The table watched on, seeing Louis smiling as he talked and the Hufflepuffs laughing in return, but unable to hear a word. It only took a minute or so for the other couple girls to smile and with nudges and giggles, leave, leaving Louis and this girl -Rorie- alone. His stance was casual, his expression sweet, and Rorie appeared to be lapping up every smile, every word he said.

"Ignoring what I said earlier, I didn't really think he had it in him," said James, honest with shock as Rorie grinned extra wide and nodded and Louis smiled in return, saying a few more words before walking back over to their table. They all tried to look like they'd been doing something else.

"Done," grinned Louis, with the same smiley confident air he'd had around the Hufflepuffs as he slid into his seat. The look was so shockingly different on him; he looked like a whole different person. "We're going to the next Hogsmede together."

"I am impressed, young one," said James, looking -well- impressed.

Scorpius held a similar expression. "You're a charming little liar, aren't you?" he said, shaking his head in awed disbelief. "Who'd have thought."

Al just looked annoyed, which really, seemed to be the emotion-of-the-day for him. "It's not over yet," was all he said.

The game was well and truly on.


	8. Ridiculous Unrequited Crushes

**Chapter 8: Ridiculous Unrequited Crushes**

_AN: Just to avoid confusion, this chapter begins at the start of the same day of the last chapter,_

Al was more than a little alarmed when he woke up to silver-grey eyes a mere inch from his own. He cried out in surprise and flung himself backwards, consequently slamming his head against the bed head.

"Good morning, Sunshine," grinned Scorpius, bouncing up and down on Al's legs with an enthusiasm not appropriate for the early hour.

"Ge' off me," groaned Al, pushing at Scorpius blindly.

Scorpius obliged, rolling off Al's bed (and legs) in one fluid motion. His grace was punctured only by falling to the ground with a loud thud. Al snuggled his face back into his pillow, ready to resume sleeping. Scorpius wasn't having that though and from his position sitting on the floor, reached out and yanked the covers from Al's bed, causing them to fall off the bed and onto Scorpius.

Scorpius wrestled his way out from under the blankets with as much dignity as he could muster and stood up. By the time he was done Al was sitting up on his bed, legs dangling over the edge as he stared irritably at Scorpius, arms crossed over his bare chest.

"I'm glad I decided to put clothes on," he commented dryly.

Scorpius raised an eyebrow as his eyes travelled over Al's mostly naked body, taking in the silver and green boxer shorts which apparently amounted to 'clothing' in Al's eyes. "Somewhat," he answered.

"Perve," said Al, with a roll of his eyes, as he slid off his bed.

Scorpius just winked before Al ushered him beyond the boundaries of his bed so that he could pull the curtains shut around him.

"You'd better not go back to sleep!" warned Scorpius as the curtains closed in front of him. Al didn't reply but Scorpius could practically hear him rolling his eyes. "We're in for a smashing good time today, Albus; first day of classes," Scorpius continued as he pulled on his own clothes. "Jolly good fun!"

All he received in reply was a sound from Al that could only be described as something between a grunt and a snort. A sgrunt.

"Buck up, Old Chap!" called Scorpius, as he adjusted his tie.

Al's head poked through the curtains, his expression unamused. "Can you stop talking like that?" he asked.

Scorpius smiled, the picture of innocence. "Like what?" he asked.

Al stared at him for a few moments. Possibly debating whether it was too early to summon the energy for a good hex, or maybe questioning why Scorpius was wearing his tie when he hadn't even put a shirt on yet.

Whatever the reason was, Al settled on simply answering, "Like my grandfather," before disappearing back behind his curtain.

Scorpius did manage to make his way into a shirt before they left for breakfast. He didn't bother to do it up though, merely letting it, along with his cloak, hang open at the sides. A group of third year girls giggled and pointed as they made their way through the common room.

"Oh for Merlin's sake," snapped Al, as a fourth year walked into a wall for staring. "Could you put some clothes on? You're causing a fuss."

Scorpius smirked. "My gift for the masses," he explained as they exited the common room.

They made their way down to the Great Hall with little incident. Scorpius made a big show of doing up his buttons ("if it makes you feel better, Albus…" and "I understand that you're threatened by my superior masculinity…") while Al ignored him, mentally running through his plans for Quidditch practice that night. He'd gone down early the night before in order to book the pitch before James had the chance to do so. He hoped his team wouldn't mind that he'd booked them in for every night that week.

His mind was still on Quidditch when they entered the Great Hall and headed for the Slytherin table. They'd just reached it when someone grabbed a hold of Al's arm. "Albus Potter, you fucking maniac," said Sam Davis -fifth year and Al's fellow chaser- with a grin and a shake of his head. "What's this I hear about training every night this week? I'm going to kill you, I really am."

Apparently they did mind.

Sam continued in the same cheery voice. "But on an unrelated note, if I don't kill you, McLaggen will. He's on the war path after _last time,_" the last bit he added in a hushed voice while looking around cautiously, as if it mentioning a highly sensitive topic (which really, in these parts, he was).

Al's bad mood was increased by this piece of news. How could he have forgotten about McLaggen? He'd completely forgotten to factor in his ongoing anger at Al and what the other Slytherin might possibly do to get back at him when planning this week's practice sessions. He mentally started making changes to his plans.

McLaggen was Al's extremely talented, yet extremely aggravating Seeker. A seventh year who wasn't at all happy that Al, a sixth year, had been given the role of Captain over himself, McLaggen had been further outraged over Slytherin's loss against Gryffindor before Christmas. He'd blamed it on Al's supposedly "lousy" captaining skills, of course. Al gritted his teeth in frustration at the mere thought of the Seeker, whose skills unfortunately he could not afford to go without.

"Death threats before breakfast," smirked Scorpius, as they slid into a free spot a little further down the table. "Quite an achievement if I may say so myself."

Al merely grunted.

"Don't be like that," said Scorpius cheerfully, as he buttered his toast.

Al was sure Scorpius couldn't genuinely be that cheerful. He surely acted that way purely to annoy Al.

"The sun is shining, the birds are chirping. Today is a good day."

Yeah, that couldn't be natural.

"On the contrary," replied Al miserably, glancing up at the enchanted ceiling above them. "It's gloomy, grey, and I have Arithmancy first period.

"At least you have an attractive companion," said Scorpius through a mouthful of toast. Apparently pureblood manners hadn't made too deep an impact on this Malfoy.

Al's face was a mixture of disgust and confusion. _"_Uh,_ who?"_

"Me, of course."

Al looked at him. "…Right."

"Do not use that tone with me," scorned Scorpius, sounding scarily like Al's mother for a moment there. "You cannot deny that you find me extremely attractive." He paused for a moment. "You are only human, after all."

Less like Al's mother.

"I can," replied Al, "I have, and I will continue to do so."

"Oh Albie!" whined Scorpius dramatically. "You break my heart!"

Al glanced around him. Now _this _was why people so often assumed they were dating. To Scorpius he simply replied. "Don't be ridiculous. You don't have a heart."

"Hostility is often used to mask sexual attraction," stated Scorpius matter-of-factly as he reached for another piece of toast.

"And I'm sure that explains why most people you come in contact with appear to hate you then?"

"It's the only logical explanation."

Al rolled his eyes. "You think everybody wants to shag you."

"Well, they do."

Al just looked at him.

"Fine," admitted Scorpius with a loud sigh. "Not _everyone _does." At this his eyes shot, almost involuntarily, across the Hall. Al followed his gaze curiously, but didn't catch where he'd looked. Scorpius looked back at Al and grinned. "Just the vast majority."

Al laughed. Scorpius looked pleased –for a moment at least- before he spotted someone approaching and his face darkened.

"This is my cue," he said, sparing a last scanning look towards the other three house tables before getting up and making for the door, ruffling Al's hair as he went. He spared a curt nod for Jez Zabini as they passed each other; Jez heading for Al, Scorpius away from.

* * *

During lunch hour of that day Louis dragged Lorcan Scamander, fellow Ravenclaw from the year below, down to the shores of the Black Lake with him, in the hope of soaking up the rare rays of sunshine and of avoiding the repercussions of agreeing to Al's stupid bet or dare, _whatever it was_. He didn't know what he'd been thinking when he agreed. To be completely honest, he hadn't been thinking. _So much for Ravenclaw._ He just couldn't avoid a challenge, especially coming from his infuriating cousin. He complained to Lorcan, who was his closest (and probably only) friend, about the Slytherin as they sat in the partial shade of a tree. Lorcan sat cross-legged, staring down at the daisy he'd just picked as he twirled it around and around in his hand.

After realising he hadn't been responded to once, Louis turned to his friend. "Lorcan, are you even _listening_ to me?" He asked.

"No."

Louis stared at him for a moment. "…Well, at least you're honest," he replied, before sitting up and looking at Lorcan, concerned. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Lorcan shrugged, still staring blankly down at the daisy. Then his light brown eyebrows pulled together and he spoke as if they were in the middle of a conversation. Which, Louis was sure, they had not been.

"Lysander says she'd never give me the time of day."

"_Who?"_

Lorcan looked up at Louis, eyes wide and serious. "Lysander –my brother- he's a Gryffindor-"

"Yes, I know who your brother is."

It came out a bit harsher than Louis had intended and Lorcan reeled back, blue eyes wide and sad. Louis automatically felt bad. Snapping at Lorcan was like kicking a kitten.

He ran his hand through his hair in agitation, took a deep breathe and tried again. "I'm sorry, Lorcan," he said, trying to keep his tone as calm as possible. "I meant who's the girl?"

It was like nothing had even happened. Lorcan's face brightened and he smiled wistfully. "Lucy," he answered. "I love Lucy."

* * *

Lucy was on the warpath.

She may not have had the Weasley-red hair and the fiery disposition to match, but that didn't mean she couldn't get mad.

She'd stormed through the castle, muttering death threats under her breath while stamping her feet a lot, all things she was pretty sure you were meant to do when you're angry. But it really is hard to keep up a fit of rage over a substantial period of time, and since she was having so much trouble locating the target of her fury, her anger had eventually just fizzled down and she was left feeling rather foolish. And annoyed. Don't forget annoyed.

Louis was going to pay. That was, if she ever found him.

Eventually she headed outside and towards the lake in search of her evasive cousin. It had grown a bit warmer as the day had gone on and it was unlike Louis to waste any rays of sunshine, as rare as they were. He was practically part cat. Lucy squinted towards the trees that she knew lined the lake's shore, in the hope of seeing him under one of them, but everything was just a blur without the aid of the glasses she was supposed to wear.

A squeal of laughter from her right caught her attention. Turning, she caught sight of a small group of girls who had to be around thirteen. Third years, probably. Hardly believing that she was resorting to this measure, she walked towards them. They fell silent as she approached, the scary sixth year that she was.

"Have any of you seen Louis Weasley around here anywhere?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest to hide the fact that she was nervous about approaching a group of people she didn't know.

They erupted into giggles. Lucy almost rolled her eyes. She wished she could say she was surprised, when one of the girls spoke up, saying "Yes, he's over there," but honestly nothing surprised her anymore when it came to the popularity of her cousins.

"Thanks," Lucy replied, before turning and walking off in the direction the girl had pointed, towards the trees on the left shore of the lake.

Lucy was pretty sure, as she approached her cousin, that she'd had some sort of elaborate speech planned for once she'd found him, but she'd forgotten it entirely in the far too long amount of time that it had taken to do so. She was pretty sure it had started with a death threat, though, so she decided to begin there and make the rest up as she went along.

"LOUIS WEASLEY," she yelled, once she was close enough. "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

She was disappointed to see that Louis didn't even have the grace to look alarmed, instead appearing simply confused, which irritated Lucy further.

"Err, why?" he asked.

For a second there it almost seemed that Lucy didn't know herself as she hesitated, but then the memory came back to her. She knew she should probably yell some more, but she wasn't fiery and passionate like Lily or Rose and angry didn't come easily to her, so she just flopped to the ground beside a very wide-eyed Lorcan Scamander and began pulling grass up in annoyed tuffs. "Because you're a giant prat," she replied to Louis. "Is it true you're going to Hogsmede with Rorie?"

"Yeah."

The look Lucy gave him was more than quizzical. "_Why?_"

"Because I like her…?" Louis replied, for some reason trailing of until it sounded like a question.

"Since when?"

"Umm… always?"

Lucy looked at him sternly. "I am not buying that."

Louis tried again. "A while?"

"Seriously Louis. She actually really likes you, so you'd better not be messing her around."

Louis paled considerably and nodded somewhat forcibly. Apparently that wasn't an acceptable response for Lucy narrowed her eyes at him until he answered, "I'm not."

"Good," replied Lucy, getting to her feet. "You'd better not. I hate to sound cliché but if you hurt her then I hurt you."

Lucy turned away and started to walk off, leaving Louis to wonder what on Earth he was getting himself into.

She was only a few feet away when she heard a voice coming from behind her, calling her name. She spun around, confused, to see Lorcan running towards her. He stopped in front of her, looking like he barely knew why he was there.

For a few moments he just stared at her, wide-eyed. Then he shoved something towards her. "This is for you," he said hurriedly, avoiding eye contact.

She took it and looked down to see a small daisy, petals spinning as if by an invisible breeze. She looked up, confused, but Lorcan had gone.

* * *

Dinner time came and Louis sat at the Ravenclaw table next to Lorcan, pushing his food around idly on his plate. About ten minutes into the meal an enchanted ball of paper came flying across the Great Hall. It hit Louis square in the face before falling into his mashed potato. Louis glanced around cautiously then picked it up by the very edges, as if overly cautious of any potential danger it may contain. This was sensible seeing as it appeared to have come from the direction of the Slytherin table.

He pulled it open carefully, managing not to lose any fingers or have it blow up in his face, which was more than he could've hoped for. Written upon the parchment in elegant, if overly swirly handwriting was a note. It read:

_Cat,_

_I've never worked with a Ravenclaw before but I'm trying to act appropriately, so please be patient with me. I'm guessing you'll be wanting to start work on our joint assignment as soon as possible. I'm free tonight, if you're interested._

_Love Scorpius xoxo_

Louis wasn't all sure how he was meant to react to that. He bit down on his lip and reread the note. He glanced up curiously to see that Scorpius was definitely looking at _him_. He looked back down before turning the paper over and scribbling a reply, using the quill he always had present with him. He wrote:

_Malfoy,_

_Stereotypes; how cute. I suppose I'm in if you are, though._

_Louis_

_P.S. …Am I Cat?_

The parchment returned with a horrendously drawn illustration of (what Louis assumed to be) a cat upon the branch of a tree, rather like the one the two of them had sat in earlier in the day (in that it was also a tree).

Louis decided to take that as a yes.

* * *

Al stomped his way through the castle angrily, leaving a trail of muddy footprints and puddles of water in his wake. He really didn't care though. To say Quidditch practice had gone badly would be an understatement. He'd almost be glad if old Filtch caught him and fed him to the skrewts or whatever he did to misbehaving students who dared to besmirch his precious floors.

To say they were abysmal was probably too harsh, but Al was pretty sure he'd see a troll dancing the ballet before he saw his team win the Cup.

The thing was that they were all excellent fliers and quite good players. They were just so _young. _Young and inexperienced.

Slytherin had had an amazing team the last few years and had even managed to beat Gryffindor for the Quidditch Cup the year before, but most of them had graduated now and Al had been left with the position of captain and barely a team to hold together.

Actually, not even enough to constitute a team. So Al had had to build a team up from nothing but himself -a chaser with the captaining position-, a Keeper and an extremely reluctant, unhelpful, jealous and quite simply malicious Seeker.

A Seeker who seemed to spend the entire practice session doing everything _but _Seek. He bossed the other players around, confused their orders, made snide remarks about and to Al and basically tried his best to ruin the training. Al had no doubt that he was trying to sabotage the team in order to show the school what an awful captain Al really was, in the hope of getting the role for himself.

The news from earlier in the day had been right, McLaggen was out to kill. It just seemed that in true Slytherin fashion he was going for a slow, subtle, _painful_ kill rather than outright attack.

This of course, made Al inexplicably mad. And Al was not only a Potter, but a Weasley and he'd inherited a killer temper himself from both sides of his family. He'd managed to reel it in pretty well, but McLaggen was going to _pay _in the long run. Who did he think he was?

They were _Al's_ team and they had potential and Al had potential and he would show everyone what they could do -what he could do- no matter what.

Upon reaching their dormitory Al swung the door open with a flourish before throwing himself face first onto his bed, sodden Quidditch robes and all.

His Keeper, Parker Trench, followed him through, looking nearly as annoyed and just as wet. Scorpius looked up from his Charms essay as Trench kicked off his muddy boots.

"Practice went well then?" he asked, eyes glinting playfully.

Trench fixed his moody look on him. "Brilliantly," he answered, voice dripping with sarcasm, before disappearing behind the curtain around his bed.

Scorpius glanced over at Al who hadn't bothered to take his shoes off and now lay with his arms over his head and face buried in his pillow, looking the picture of pathetic. Scorpius climbed of his own bed and jumped onto Al's, sprawling out beside him.

"Are you all right?" he asked, poking Al's ear with his wand.

Al mumbled a muffled reply that could be roughly translated to "Go away."

Scorpius twirled a strand of Al's dark hair around his wand and Al buried his head deeper under his arms.

"Would you like to snuggle?" asked Scorpius. "Would that make you feel better?"

Al raised his head lazily to glare half-heartedly at Scorpius "Would you like me to curse you into the next century?" he asked, voice sickly sweet.

"You wouldn't," replied Scorpius, pushing himself up onto his knees. "You love me."

"I'd love if you moved onto your own bed," Al retorted.

Scorpius cast a fearful glance across the room. "It's awfully cold out there," he replied, shivering slightly for the effect. Al ignored him. "Rather like your heart, Albus," he continued, "I'm sure you could relate."

Al rolled his eyes "Oh, well, I wouldn't want you to _freeze _to death out there in the big bad dormitory."

His tone was extremely sarcastic but Scorpius seemed to take it as an acceptance of his request and lay down fully on the bed next to Al. Al shuffled over begrudgingly and Scorpius lay his head on the pillow next to Al's.

"So…" he said, after a few moments of silence, "are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Al stared at him straight in the eye. "My team sucks," he said, straight-faced.

"Hey!" Trench called from across the room.

Scorpius cast the Muffliato charm then turned back to Al. "You were saying?" he prompted.

That was just how it was with them. Scorpius would listen when Al talked, ranted, complained, _whatever_, and in return Al let Scorpius annoy and tease him as he liked. It was a strange, unspoken agreement, yet it worked for them.

So Al ranted about his disastrous practice session and his team while Scorpius listened, adding the appropriate exclamations, scathing remarks and advice when necessary.

Eventually Al grew tired of the subject and turned to Scorpius. "What about you?" he asked. "How are you doing with… whatever it is that you do?"

Scorpius quirked an eyebrow. "Whatever it is that I do?" he repeated in mock offense. "I do a lot you know. It's not easy being so flawless."

Al ignored the last bit. "You do a lot?" he repeated, skeptically. "Like what? Sport ridiculous unrequited crushes?"

"Ridiculous unrequited crushes? What are you talking about?"

"Don't deny it. Come on, 'fess up. Who is it this time?"

"Excuse me, I'm still denying the first point."

Al just looked at him. "Are you really?"

"Prove it," demanded Scorpius.

Al didn't even pause to think. "When we were in first year; the seventh year Quidditch Captain. You were obsessed. They practically had you pulled in front of the Wizengamott for stalking."

Scorpius sighed in reminiscence. "The more she yelled at me, the happier I was."

Al looked at him sceptically. "Didn't she have some sort of complete breakdown?"

"I still stand by that that was not my fault."

"You were banned from the sport for life!"

Scorpius ignored this. "Give me another example."

"The Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we had in third year."

"What about him?"

"You were _infatuated. _He was like fifty! It was weird."

"He was thirty," objected Scorpius. "And he had an impressive collection of novelty ties."

Al snorted. "You mean he had a nice arse."

"So you agree?"

Al ignored this. "What about last year, when you proposed to that first year?"

"She loved me!"

Al snorted. "She was terrified! You made her cry!"

Scorpius crossed his arm and stuck his nose up haughtily. "I call for a change of subject."

Al sat up and reached towards his beside table. "Help me with these game plans?" he asked.

"Only if we can snuggle."

Al slapped him over the head with his notes. "I'll take notes for you in History of Magic?"

Scorpius sighed dramatically. "Fine, we have a deal."


	9. Wicked Witch Of The West

**Chapter 9: Wicked Witch of the West**

It was in a strange mood that Lucy walked back up to the castle. She looked down at the flower in her hand, confused. What was she meant to do with it? What did it _mean_? What was her cousin's little fifth year friend doing, giving her a flower? They'd never even _spoken._

Not wanting to just throw it to the ground, she slipped it into the pocket of her robes. She forgot about it almost immediately when she caught a glance of the time upon her watch and realised just how little time she had to grab her stuff and get to her next class.

By the time she'd managed to locate the relevant books from within the mess that their dormitory had already become, she was well and truly running late. If she hadn't been so frazzled (or awful at Charms) she may have attempted a summoning charm on her belongings. As it was she'd done it the time-consuming Muggle way and was left running through the almost empty corridors in order to make it to Transfiguration, not on time, but as close as she could get.

She was nearly there, having only one more corner to turn before she would've made it, when something hit her square in the back of the head.

She cried out in surprise and pain and spun around to see –to no real surprise- Peeves, the poltergeist, laughing down at her with an arm full of ink pellets.

Before Lucy could react further Peeves threw another ink pellet at her. She held her hands out in front of her, trying to hit them away and protect her body from the attack as he continued to pelt her with the pellets. When one smacked her right in the face, splattering ink all over her, she snapped. Angrily she reached down, scooped up the thrown pellets and one by one flung them at the mischievous spirit. Each and every one of them hit right on target.

This didn't seem to have any real effect on Peeves who just laughed wickedly and zoomed towards her. Swooping down, he grabbed her bag, pulled it off her arm and flung it up into the air, causing the books it contained to rain down like lethal confetti. Before Lucy could even register what had just happened Peeves was gone, fleeing down the corridor and around the corner. The echo of the rude song he'd been singing was left echoing against the walls.

"Do you play Quidditch?" asked a voice from her right.

Not expecting it, Lucy jumped about a mile in the air. She spun around to see Matthew Davies, the handsome Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, watching her with an almost impressed expression on his face.

"What?" she asked blankly.

"You've got really good aim," he clarified. "You should Chase."

"Are you sure you'd want that?" she asked, holding up her black and yellow tie so he could see it clearly. "I'm the enemy."

He grimaced. "No," he said. "Maybe you should stick to the stands."

Lucy, who'd never even considered trying out for her house team, nodded in agreement. "Maybe I should."

They stood there awkwardly for a few moments. Lucy, all too aware that she probably looked ridiculous, being covered in ink as she was, plus knowing that he'd probably just witnessed her fit of rage, found it more than significantly awkward.

Thankfully he spoke up eventually. "I suppose you need some help?" he asked. His tone was somewhat reluctant, Lucy couldn't help but notice sourly, but he started collecting her books for her.

"I guess," was all she replied, bending down to help him. (Was this really happening _again_, she couldn't help but wonder.)

She looked up after shoving the last of the books closest to her into her bag. Davies seemed to be staring down at her Transfiguration book, transfixed. Upon noticing her looking at him he looked back up and met his eyes with hers. He was smiling now. It was a friendly, open. Lucy was surprised at the change, but not at all upset. This was much definitely an improvement.

"Weasley, eh?" he asked, nodding towards the book in his hand.

Lucy looked at it and sure enough there was her name, written in large rounded letters with a heart drawn at the end. She nodded and smiled back. He had a very nice smile. "Yeah," she said. "Lucy."

"Hi Lucy," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Matthew."

_I know, _is what she wanted to say but she held it in. "Nice to meet you, Matthew," she said, shaking his hand somewhat awkwardly. A crimson blush tainted her cheeks and she ducked her head so her hair fell in front of her face and hoped he didn't notice.

He held her hand for what was probably a few moments too long. Lucy found herself blurting out, "I'd better go to class, I'm really late. Sorry." She let go of his hand and jumped to her feet, but didn't run straight away.

He also stood up. "Wait," he said. "You can't go looking like that. Stay still."

Lucy definitely wasn't moving. She stayed motionless as Matthew tapped his wand to her shoulder. "_Scourgify_."

The ink disappeared from her clothes and skin in an instant. She smiled up at Matthew appreciatively. "Thanks so much," she said, before, for some stupid reason that she had no idea of (she swore sometimes that her brain had no control over her mouth), adding flirtily, "Whatever can I do to repay you?"

Maybe there'd been some sort of hint in her voice and it was absolutely crazy and it didn't make sense for she was just _Lucy, _but he smiled. "You could go to Hogsmede with me?"

Lucy almost couldn't breathe. No one had ever asked her out before, let alone _Matthew freaking Davies. _"I could," she said with a sly smile. She had no idea where that came from. Clearly it proved her theory that her brain and mouth were unconnected as her brain was too blank and spinning too fast to come up out with something like that. Or anything really.

"Will you?" he asked.

"I will," she answered.

"Good," he said. "You'd better get to class. You don't want to be late."

"Aren't we in the same class?" Lucy asked.

Matthew looked surprised, but then covered himself. "Oh, of course," he said. "But I'm not going today."

She quirked an eyebrow in surprise. Matthew Davies, _skiving off?_ Impossible!

"Oh no," he said, seeing her face. "I'm not going today. I've got a prefect thing." There was a pause and then he added. "I'd never be running _this _late to class."

Well, Lucy was running _that_ late. "Okay," she said curtly, wondering if that had been a jab at her.

Matthew didn't seem to notice anything unusual though and simply smiled at her again. "I'll see you later, okay?"

She merely nodded.

* * *

Scorpius had been helping Al out with his game plans, as promised, but after about the tenth time that he checked his watch, Al turned to him. "Are you _going _somewhere?" he asked.

Once more, Scorpius glanced at the time. "I am now," he answered, clambering to his feet and learning over to check his hair in the mirror. "I have a hot date."

Al looked at him, disbelieving. "A play date?" he asked.

Scorpius pulled a face. "Admittedly, it is a study date."

"You're ditching me to _study?" _he crossed his arms over his chest. "What am I meant to do now?"

"Pay a visit to the Wicked Witch of the West?" Scorpius suggested.

"I do hope you're not referring to my girlfriend."

"You caught me!" called Scorpius, disappearing through the door before Al could react.

* * *

Louis regretted agreeing to meet Scorpius to work on their assignment almost the minute he'd done so. The idea of being alone with the Slytherin setting his nerves on edge. But Scorpius was strangely nothing but friendly and charming and Louis did not find it reassuring.

They grabbed a pile of books on magical creatures and set about trying to find one to base their assignment on. Each creature Scorpius suggested got more and more ridiculous while Louis tried to find one they could _actually _use. After all they had to look after the thing for a month and _no, _they could not do it on a basilisk.

With each creature Louis pointed out in a book, Scorpius leaned far too close to him to check it out and Louis just could not concentrate. Scorpius must have been trying to get to him and Louis refused to admit that it may have been working. Still, however, he couldn't help glancing up nervously to see if anyone was noticing this odd behaviour.

Someone had indeed noticed. Will Taylor was watching the two of them, eyes slitted suspiciously. Upon seeing Louis looking at him Will shot Louis a filthy glare, slammed his books shut and moved away, making his way over to a table of Hufflepuff girls.

Scorpius didn't fail to notice and glanced between them. "What was that?"

Louis rolled his eyes. "Don't even ask."

"Is there something going on between you two?"

He almost laughed at this. "Yes," he answered sarcastically. "That's why he's shooting me bitter death glares." He broke off, eyes flicking sideways to Scorpius and then away again. "Why would you even ask that?" he questioned, trying to stray his tone from the realms of defensiveness.

Scorpius's gaze was heavy upon Louis when he spoke next, and Louis shifted uncomfortable under the scrutiny. "I know you're gay," said Scorpius, simply.

Louis felt his stomach drop. "I am not," he replied, tone scathing although he wondered why he even bothered denying it anymore. His stupid skin blushed bright red, betraying him, and he felt as though he was going to be sick.

"Of course, you are," answered Scorpius.

"What makes you say that?"

"Don't you have a pet cat?"

Whatever Louis had been expecting Scorpius to say it had not been that. "What's Pebbles got to do with this?" he asked, tone halfway between confused and offended.

"Its name is Pebbles?" Scorpius repeated with a laugh. "Why doesn't everyone know?!"

Louis hissed under his breath. "Will you _shut up?_"

Scorpius grinned triumphantly. "Oh, so you're not denying it anymore?"

"I am not talking about this with you," said Louis, leaning closer to the book in order to appear to be studying it intently, shifting slightly so to block Scorpius from his vision and turn his back to him. He stared at the text, unblinking, but it just blurred before his eyes and he determined little meaning.

"Maybe you won't, but I'm sure the rest of the library will be more obliging. HEY EVERYONE-"

He was silenced by Louis clamping his hand over his mouth. With his free hand Louis raised his wand threateningly. "Shut up, or I'll shut you up," he warned. Then paused. "Forever. Understand?"

Louis didn't give Scorpius a chance to respond, he just dropped his hand.

Scorpius was speaking again the next second. "I think the 'forever' was implied," he said. "You probably didn't need to add it."

Louis scowled. "It was for dramatic effect."

"Nicely done."

"Thank you."

After about a minute's silence Louis spoke up, voice quiet, not looking up from the book. "How did you know?"

"I know everything," replied Scorpius, matter-of-factly.

Louis glanced up, fixing him with a stare. "You are so _annoying_."

Scorpius winked. "It's one of my many charms."

Louis ignored this. "You can't tell anyone," he said seriously, then crossed his arms over his chest. "You don't have any evidence."

"Who says I was going to tell anyone?"

"Why wouldn't you?" said Louis harshly, thinking of the night before at the Burrow.

Scorpius's face was serious. "I wouldn't do that," he said.

"I don't believe you," said Louis through narrowed eyes. "What are you even- Why are you being like this?" He shook his head. "Just- just- just leave me alone." His tone turned morose. "Please."

Angrily he shoved his things into his bag, swung it over his shoulder and stormed out, refusing to spare Scorpius a second glance.

He passed Will on his way to the door. The Gryffindor, predictably, was watching him. He shifted closer to the girl next to him (was that _Lucy?) _when he noticed Louis's eyes upon him. Louis, in a bad enough mood already, shot him a scowl, before slipping through the door and slamming it shut behind him.

* * *

Jez Zabini was not at all happy, sitting at the Slytherin table at breakfast on the second day of classes. She'd tried multiple times to get her boyfriend's attention but every single time she received nothing more than a one word answer in reply.

That was what she got, she'd been told repetitively by her best friend (and part time enemy), Blair Parkinson, for dating a Quidditch obsessed freak like Al Potter. That morning he was too focused upon scribbling notes on his stupid game plans to any attention to her, no matter how much she loosened her tie, or inched closer to him on the bench.

She could see that Scorpius Malfoy had noticed, though. Her no doubt embarrassingly pathetic attempts for attention didn't go unmissed by his sharp eyes. The very same eyes that were dancing with amusement as he grinned at her from his place on the other side of Al. She scowled at him and flicked her long dark hair over her shoulder angrily as she turned away from the two boys.

She now sat facing Blair, who was looking at her sharply. "You can't let him get away with that, Jez," she said. "You're his _girlfriend. _You should always come first!"

"I know that," Jez replied, gritting her teeth at the reminder that that wasn't true.

"Well, what are you going to do about it?"

Jez's eyes scanned the Hall searchingly, glinting with determination. Upon spotting something, or rather _someone_, she grinned wickedly. "I have an idea," she said.

She grabbed hold of Blair's hand, ignoring her squeaks of protest, and dragged her towards the table next to their own. She shot a last look at Al, who was finally looking at her, his expression that of confusion, before slipping into a seat at the Ravenclaw table next to the one person who was most likely to get a negative reaction from Al.

Louis looked at them in bewilderment as they started chatting to him, fast paced and with more laughs and eyelash fluttering than necessary, ignoring the fact that he was contributing no more in this 'conversation' than the Headmaster was.

Jez's spur of the moment plan to evoke Al's jealousy seemed to be successful, for he spent the rest of the meal glaring at them angrily and once it was over, came over to them, looped his arm through Jez's and personally escorted her to potions himself. She grinned in triumph.

* * *

Louis arrived at their Potions class to discover that Rorie had saved him a seat next to her. She smiled and waved him over and he made his way towards her, but not before glancing almost involuntarily over towards the back of the room where the Slytherins were sitting. He had to do something about that.

They worked together that lesson, Rorie and Louis, to create the day's potion. He watched her as she leant in to light the fire under the cauldron they shared. She got the fire started and her face was lit softly by the glow of the flames and her red-brown hair fell into her honey coloured eyes and he wished that he could like her –really _like_- her. How much simpler it would be, how happy he could be. She was pretty and friendly and she kept up an amusing chatter which found him smiling and even laughing in response, but he just couldn't feel anything, not really.

He thought that she was definitely the kind of girl he'd like to be friends with, but her body language suggested that she wanted a lot more, as her smiles came too frequently and her cheeks blushed too red, too often, and he just knew it wasn't going to be possible.

He grew quieter as the lesson went on, for with each second he spent in her company the worse he felt for leading her on. He'd just made up his mind to call if off completely when something changed his mind.

It was just at the end of the lesson when their professor announced that they'd been given the chance to have their fun, work with whoever they wanted, but from next lesson on they'd be working with a partner randomly chosen for them.

Louis was pretty calm, both Scorpius and Al, the two people he did _not _want to be paired with were called out nearly straight away by the professor, who pulled their names out on slips from an empty cauldron, and given a partner each. He barely even reacted upon hearing he was partnered with Jessamine Zabini, not knowing who she was, until he saw the annoying Slytherin girl from breakfast that morning grinning at him a bit too enthusiastically and he realised that –oh great- he'd been partnered with Al's girlfriend.

Al was glaring at him in a way that suggested that he was mentally trying to Avada him and Louis just knew that he could hardly break up (were they even going out? He wasn't even sure.) with Rorie now, not if he valued his life. Newly single _and _working closely with Al's girlfriend? He'd just be setting himself up to face Al's wrath. After all, what was it that Rose had so stupidly said? That she thought that Jez had liked Louis? Yep, that was not going to help his case.

Louis dropped his head onto his arms, blocking out the classroom and wishing he could just leave. Leave the classroom, leave the castle, leave the _country._ Since when did he get himself tangled up into all this teenage drama? To be honest, he just wanted to sleep.

As tired as always, he actually almost dozed off right then and there but a voice caught his attention. "Piss off, Zabini," it said almost viscously.

He raised his head slowly to see Rorie glowering towards the door and the dark hair of Jez Zabini disappearing through it. He had completely missed whatever had just gone down, for which he probably should have been glad. He smiled at Rorie appreciatively and she grinned back. If she could scare of Slytherins, he couldn't help but think, maybe he should keep her around…


	10. Daydreams And Delusions

**Chapter 10: Daydreams And Delusions **

Maybe Lucy had always been one for daydreams and hopeful delusions, but she kept a cool head of logic and reason underneath. She didn't really expect her hopes and wishes to come true, as much as she'd love them too. That was why she was so surprised when Will Taylor took a seat next to her in the library that night. For although he'd said to her _"I'll see you around,"_ after their chance encounter in the corridors earlier that day, she knew that never meant anything, _really_, and cute guys like Will didn't seek out plain, boring girls like herself. So she hadn't got her hopes up and pushed him to the back of her mind almost right away, not wanting to be left disappointed and alone, _like always_.

It had been a complete surprise then, when he appeared seemingly out of nowhere and sat down next to her at the table in the library she was sharing with her friends. He looked slightly flustered his smile was friendly when he greeted her. She grinned back and her friends stared between the two of them, wide-eyed with shock. If that hadn't been obvious enough, they then started shooting her and each other meaningful looks and knowing smiles and Lucy just wanted to die of embarrassment. Luckily for her though, Will didn't appear to notice any of it. He was too busy shooting glances over his shoulder. Lucy couldn't see what –or who- he was looking at.

Lucy caught the eye of Cassie from across the table. Cassie was the only one of them not at least a little bit giggly. Her eyes were serious and upon gaining Lucy's attention she mouthed a single word. "_Davies_."

The guilt hit Lucy right away. Hadn't she just agreed to go to Hogsmede with Matthew? She shouldn't be having thoughts about any other guy, which she certainly had been doing when one came and sat down next to her with his stupid nice eyes and stupid friendly smile.

She automatically got defensive, her usual response to being put on the spot like that. Will had chosen to sit there, she hadn't asked him too, and judging by his distracted manner he was probably only sitting there in order to escape someone else. This wasn't _anything_. It was nothing personal.

She told herself this but as Will joined their conversation, laughing and chatting merrily, no longer looking around the room, she discovered how much more she enjoyed talking to him than to Matthew. Matthew had been moody, confusing and even a little rude. Will was the opposite. She kept telling herself that him talking to her like this was nothing personal, that Will was one of those people who was friendly and open with everybody (which she knew to be true from seeing him around the school over the years –he was quite popular), but he had his arm around her chair and he kept inching closer and closer to her and she just couldn't help that her heart rate increased, her cheeks reddened and her smiles grew wider and wider.

This couldn't be going anywhere good.

* * *

It was their second Care of Magical Creatures lesson of the new term and the class had been instructed to break off into their partners and begin work on their assignment. They were sixth years now and therefore expected to be mature enough to go off and get things done on their own, without having the professor breathing down their necks. Everyone was spread out over the area of lawn that made their classroom, perched on rocks or braving the wet grass. Louis stood on his own a small distance away, arms crossed over his chest, watching Scorpius through narrowed eyes as he approached the class, late.

"Oh, look at you," said Scorpius, upon reaching him. "You're going to go all stubborn-Weasley and not talk to me, aren't you?"

Louis narrowed his eyes further.

"Oh, shut up," said Scorpius, although Louis hadn't said anything. "I've got something for you that you'll like. Sit down."

Louis stared at him. "Why do I have to sit down?"

"Because I can't be bothered standing up."

Scorpius flopped onto the ground in front of Louis, who stayed on his feet, watching him cautiously.

"Come on," said Scorpius, pulling at the hem of Louis's robes. "Don't be scared, I'm not going to bite you." He paused. "Unless you want me to, of course."

Louis who'd been about to sit down, froze and blushed crimson.

Scorpius rolled his eyes as Louis sat down, almost an extra foot away from him. "Calm down, Weasley," he said. "I'm just joking."

Louis glared at him, as threateningly as he could manage. "You'd better be."

Scorpius didn't even look a little scared. An almost frightening smile spread slowly across his face and Louis felt himself shiver as he asked, "What if I'm not?" His voice low, eyes… Louis wasn't sure what.

Louis's eyes widened. He opened his mouth but all that came out was, "Nngrrng."

Scorpius laughed. "I'm sorry, Louis. I don't speak moron."

Louis scowled at him, crossing his arms over his chest. "What was it you wanted to show me?" he asked.

"Clever conversation change," commented Scorpius, but reached into his bag nonetheless. He pulled out a thick, old looking book and passed it over to Louis.

Louis took the book but gave Scorpius a suspicious look. "A book? ...This isn't you making fun of me being a Ravenclaw again, is it?" he asked.

"Me? Make fun of you?" said Scorpius, sounding affronted. "I'd never!" He grinned. "No, it's for our assignment. Open to the page with the marker."

Curious, Louis looked down at the book. Carefully he opened it to the page marked by a torn out piece of paper.

Scorpius leaned forward. "I know it's obvious," he said, when Louis didn't reply right away. "But that's probably why we didn't think of it earlier. It won't be too hard to get one, even though we don't have a license and yeah, I thought you'd like it. But if you don't…"

Louis shot him a look. "If I don't? Are you kidding? I love it! Can we do it? That'd be brilliant" Louis grinned the kind of grin that was so rare on him. Unrestrained, bright and dazzling. It transformed his whole face, made his eyes shine extra bright.

Scorpius couldn't help but grin in return. "Calm down," he said, trying to cover it. He reached out to take the book back. "It's just a Kneazle."

Louis gave the cat-like creature with the giant ears, speckled skin and lion-tail, one last look. "I know," he grinned.

* * *

James draped a friendly but commanding arm around Al's shoulder as Al left class, pulling him away from the throng of sixth years exiting the classroom and down another corridor with him. "C'mon little brother, I need to talk to you."

Al crinkled his nose but followed him. "Do you have to?"

James pulled a face and dropped his arm from Al's shoulder. "Unfortunately."

They stopped walking, having reached a quiet section of corridor.

Al crossed his arms and leaned against the stone of the castle wall. "What's he doing here?" he asked, nodding towards the curly-brown headed figure at James's side who looked like he really didn't want to be there. "Be nice, Al," warned James. "This is Will Taylor, my reinforcement."

"Reinforcement?"

"Well, I wanted to get the other two Quidditch captains, but they were busy and I hate them. So I have Will instead. He plays for Gryffindor."

Al looked at him skeptically. "He's not very threatening."

"You say that now," joked James, "but who knows what dark secrets lurk behind this handsome face." He gestured dramatically at Will, laughing. "I know I have my suspicions..."

"I'm not hiding anything," snapped Will, in a reaction much stronger than expected. He pulled away from James and stormed off down the corridor.

James stared after him, blue eyes wide and surprised. He turned to Al. "Well I don't know about you," he said seriously. "But I'm convinced."

Al sighed. "What do you want, James?"

James started digging through his bag. "To tell you that you can't have the pitch every night, you silly prat."

He pulled out a crumbled piece of paper from within the mess of lolly wrappers and joke products that his school bag consisted of. "Here's the schedule. Please try to repress your sneaky Slytherin ways and stick to it."

Al took it with a roll of his green eyes. "Bye, James."

"But-"

"Goodbye."

"Git."

* * *

Lucy loved her friends, she really did. She'd trust them with her life and would do anything for them in return.

They were the basis of all her best memories and had stuck by her side through all the highs and lows of the teenage years so far. She loved hanging out with them, laughing and talking and joking and gossiping, but sometimes it all got too much. Living in such close quarters, being constantly surrounded by people; it was draining. Sometimes Lucy just needed a break, some peace and quiet, a little time to herself.

What Lucy loved most was to draw. She'd slip out of the crowded, bustling common room and make her way out onto the grounds, sketchbook under her arm. She'd lean against the cool bark of a tree trunk and in the shade of its branches, she'd draw.

The glistening lake, the snow capped mountains, the old castle; it was a beautiful backdrop. Sometimes she'd draw it.

Mostly though, she drew people. Characters and creatures that all had names and personalities and stories she could never seem to write down. Every few days she'd come back down here and allow herself to get lost in the worlds of handsome princes, beautiful princesses, brave commoners and petty thieves. It was her escape, her chance to forget the problems of real life.

It was how Lorcan had first noticed her (quill in hand, dark hair tucked behind her ear so it didn't fall in her face as she drew, concentrated expression and small smile tugging at her lips), but she didn't know that.

It was how Matthew Davies found her, after classes on the second day back. Him, freshly showered with wet hair and clean clothes. Her, too lost in what she was doing to notice him until he flopped down beside her on the grass and flicked his fringe out of his face.

"Hey."

Lucy jumped and slammed her sketchbook shut. "M-Mathew," she stammered out in surprise.

"Lucy." He grinned. "See, I remembered it."

Lucy slipped her sketchbook beside her, hoping he wouldn't ask to see it. "Uhh, well done," she said.

"Thank you," he replied, sounding genuinely proud of himself. There was almost awkward silence for a few moments before Matthew announced. "I just had Quidditch practice."

"That's …great," said Lucy, unsure how she was supposed to reply to that. "How was it?"

"Brilliant, of course," he replied. "Can't tell you any more though, wouldn't want to spill any team secrets to a 'Puff." He laughed.

Lucy joined him, somewhat stiffly. She found herself having to bite back the urge to tell him that she didn't care what his stupid team was doing.

Luckily Lucy was saved from having to think up a response that wasn't, you know, _offensive_, when Matthew spoke up again.

"Gryffindor have their training tomorrow," he said. "Are you going to go watch?"

"Why would I do that?" asked Lucy, confused.

"Don't you have cousins on the team?"

"Yeah, a few. I generally don't watch their practices though. James would probably freak out, think I was spying." She laughed and rolled her eyes. Her cousin was ridiculous.

"I'd bet he doesn't tell you anything then? About his team?" asked Matthew, sounding almost disappointed.

"It's not like he doesn't trust me," said Lucy, thinking that was what he was implying.

"Of course not!"

He sounded surprised and honest and Lucy found herself smiling. For a moment there she'd started to suspect that he was only talking to her in order to find out inside information about her cousins' Quidditch teams.

"James is pretty out there," said Matthew.

He didn't sound harsh or judgemental and Lucy could nod in agreement. "He is, but that's why we love him."

"I heard he was switching around his whole line-up. Bringing in new players or something?"

Lucy laughed. "No, not quite. I think he was switching Fred and Ellie Wood though. Putting Ellie in Keeper and giving Fred the Chasing spot."

Matthew nodded, digesting the information. "Pretty risky move," he commented, "this late in the season."

"They're both brilliant players, though," said Lucy, immediately defensive of her cousin's captaining ability. She was a loyal Hufflepuff to the bone.

"I know," replied Matthew with a pained smile. "That's the problem."

Lucy spared only a fleeting longing thought for her unfinished sketch as their conversation went on. It felt good talking to a boy like Matthew, even if he spoke more of himself and Quidditch and school work than anything she liked. It was still attention that she didn't usually receive and it was reserved just for her. It also helped that Matthew was really quite good looking and very nice. Lucy thought back to the night before in the library, and thought that maybe she'd judged him too quickly then.

Maybe this was going to be easy.


	11. Stirring The Cauldron

**Chapter 11: Stirring The Cauldron **

Louis was glad Lorcan had left at the last corridor his own class. He wouldn't have wanted his friend to see how he stopped with a jolt at the sight of the scene before him, on the way down to Potions. He wouldn't have wanted Lorcan (or, well, _anyone_) to see the way Louis's face paled or how his breath caught in his throat.

He couldn't understand why his stomach felt like it'd been tied up in knots because it was just Scorpius and Rose and he _knew _they were together and he'd never even thought about that, let alone had it bother him. But there they were, wrapped in each other's arms, laughing and kissing and really just making a big show of it all, and for some reason it _hurt. _And Louis was annoyed because he'd never meant for Scorpius and his stupid, crazy mixed messages to get to him. Wasn't that the point he was trying to prove to Al? Whatever. Screw Scorpius. He didn't care. Why should he care?

He was nice one time. In Care of Magical Creatures, with the book. But that was nothing. That meant nothing. And yeah, maybe he was one of the few people that spoke to him in a way that didn't completely piss Louis off. He wasn't overly nice, wasn't overly awful. It had been a nice change, but that didn't mean _feelings _had to get involved.

This seemed to be just what Al had been warning him against.

Annoyed, Louis swung his book bag over his shoulder and stormed off down the corridor. There was the sound of hurried footsteps behind him as someone half ran, half walked to catch up to him. He increased his speed slightly in hope they wouldn't –or couldn't- catch up.

It didn't work. Jez Zabini turned up beside him anyway. "Oh my god," she said, catching his arm with her hand. "Which one is it?"

Louis stopped in his tracks, sucking in a deep breath of air and causing Jez to almost walk straight into him. "_What_?"

"Which one of them is it?" she repeated, brown eyes wide and serious.

Louis started walking hastily again, but Jez stayed by his side. "I- I- don't know what you're talking about," he said.

"You do!" she exclaimed, as if suddenly convinced. "I know jealousy when I see it. Is it Rose?"

He shook his head frantically, face twisting with disgust. "That's so wrong. She's my cousin for one-"

She shrugged. "What's a little incest between cousins?"

Louis shot her a look, eyes wide. "Eww."

"Whatever, she's pretty."

"You date her then."

"No, thank you."

Louis desperately hoped that was the end of their conversation, but the Slytherin wasn't giving up that easily.

"So, if it's not her…" she said, trailing off suggestively.

"Don't," he said, warningly. "Just don't."

She looked at him with wide eyes. She didn't sound entirely shocked, more excited, gossip hungry. "I'm right! Aren't I? _Salazar-_"

"You're not right," Louis cut in abruptly. "For one, he's a …he."

Which, of course, was not the issue here.

"So?"

"Well, I'm not-" lied Louis feebly. "He's not…"

Jez laughed, flicking her dark hair over her shoulder. "No way, he'd totally be up for it."

Louis's stomach jolted slightly at the thought, but he ignored it. "Oh yes," he said, with a roll of his eyes. "As his girlfriend, _clearly indicates._"

Jez somehow managed to co-ordinate both shrugging and dodging nimbly out of the way of a few Hufflepuff boys as they ran laughing and pushing down the corridor, as the two sixth years made their way down towards the dungeons. "That means nothing," she said. "Everyone knows Scorpius would hit on anything that moves."

Well, although that wasn't exactly reassuring, it could explain somethings...

"I don't really get what-" began Louis.

Jez finished his sentence. "-What I'm talking about? Merlin's fucking beard, for a Ravenclaw you sure are thick. He, uhh, what's the expression? Stirs his cauldron in both directions." She paused, her eyebrows furrowing in thought as if trying to work out what she'd said. It was lucky that she'd stopped walking, for Louis had frozen too. Not for the same reason. "Whatever, I'm no good at this metaphorical bullshit. Point is he's into guys too."

"Really_?_" He asked, biting down on his lip so hard that it almost drew blood.

"Didn't you know?" asked Jez conversationally and they started walking again, having become something of a traffic hazard. "I thought everyone did," she continued, then more uncertainly. "Or, well, Slytherin does." She paused again. "I think." A shrug. "Well, I do. Al does."

"Really?" Louis asked, genuinely surprised at that last name.

"Stop saying that," she snapped, voice annoyed, although Louis could tell it was only surface deep. "I'm not making this all up for my own amusement."

"Really?"

Jez rolled her eyes and they turned a corner. The walls around them had changed to bare stone, having reached the dungeons.

"I don't know if you've realised," she continued dryly, ignoring Louis. "But they're pretty close, Al and Scorpius."

"I've noticed."

"Oh Merlin," Jez said suddenly. "I hope they're not hiding some sort of torrid homosexual affair."

"Would that bother you?" asked Louis, uncomfortably.

"Well, as Al's _girlfriend_, I'd be pretty pissed," she said, then paused. "But then I'd probably like to watch, because you must admit, that's pretty hot."

Louis stared at the approaching wall in front of him, forcing himself to focus purely on the pattern of the brickwork to stop his mind from roaming.

Jez looked at him oddly. "So you swear you're not gay, nor do you fancy Scorpius?" she asked, her gaze scrutinizing.

Louis gave a non-committal hum in response. The last person he was going to share anything like that with would be this over-confident, gossiping Slytherin. Even if she did seem non-judgemental.

Jez looked at him for a moment and Louis thought she was going to say something. However, she just shrugged. "You're missing out."

They walked the rest of the corridor in silence, both pretty focussed on their thoughts. "You and Al don't get along, do you?" she asked eventually, leaning against the wall outside their classroom, having finally reached it.

"Not really," answered Louis, joining her against the wall.

"Why's that?" she asked, not exactly curiously, but politely enough.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "We used to."

"He doesn't seem to like to see you around me," said Jez, smiling slightly, in a way that didn't reach her eyes.

Louis glanced at her. "Is that why you're practically my second shadow these days?" he asked with a slight teasing smile.

She grinned. "Of course. You didn't think I actually liked you for your company, did you?"

He smiled in return. "Of course not."

Jez looked away after a few moments, her eyes trailing off down the corridor. "Hey, look," she said, nudging him with her elbow. Her smile was almost cruel. "It's your Hufflepuff."

Sure enough, Rorie had broken away from the group of approaching Hufflepuff girls.

Louis felt the almost familiar guilt twist in his stomach. "How do you know about that?" he asked Jez.

She rolled her eyes. "The whole school knows. Hufflepuffs couldn't be subtle if they tried."

Rorie reached them, twirling a finger through her long, wavy hair self-consciously. "Hi, Louis," she said with an unsure smile, glancing at Jez out of the corner of her eyes.

"Hi Rebecca!" said Jez loudly, before Louis could answer. Her tone was loud and over the top with faked friendliness and enthusiasm.

"It's Rorie," said the Hufflepuff coolly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Good for you!" Jez exclaimed with the same false brightness.

Louis rolled his eyes. "Could you go be a bitch somewhere else, please, Jessamine?" he asked with a smile.

Jez fixed him a glare at the use of her full first name, but she ruined the effect by almost-laughing. "Urgh," she said, adjusting her chest and loosening her tie even further, in a way that was not at all subtle. "Where is my stupid boyfriend?" she asked, looking down the corridor in annoyance. She shrugged. "Whatever, I'll use you against him some other time, hey partner?" She elbowed Louis in the ribs, sending him a friendly wink. "Bye Rylee!" she said, before turning and gliding off, hips wiggling from side to side.

"Wow," said Rorie, watching her departure with wide eyes. "She's lovely, isn't she?"

Louis laughed. "Delightful."

"You've been partnered with her for potions, haven't you?"

"Yeah."

Rorie shook her head sadly. "You poor thing."

"Mmmm."

Suddenly Rorie grinned. "It's not too bad," she said. "I'm sure she'd let you have a look at her rack if you asked nicely."

Jez spent most of the Potions lesson sliding closer to Louis on the bench or giggly excessively loud whenever Louis would say something as simple as the name of a potions ingredient. Pausing only in her efforts for attention to kick Louis under the bench or to glare at him for laughing at her. "I _know _I'm pathetic," she'd hissed under her breath. "But it's the only thing that works."

Later, and completely out of the blue, she'd snapped, "You know, you're not even that good looking up close," as if she took personal offense to the matter.

"How kind of you to say," said Louis, not taking his eyes of the roots he was carefully slicing.

"Could you not be sarcastic for one second?" asked Jez with a roll of her eyes. She crossed her arms over her chest and sunk further in her chair, clearly working extremely hard.

"Could you not be insulting for one second?"

"I'm serious, Weasley. You look like shit. Are you sick? Please tell me I don't need to be concerned…"

Louis's grip on the knife slipped and he gasped as blood welled from his other hand. "I'm _fine_," he practically hissed, pulling his cut hand up under his sleeve.

"Are you sure?" asked Jez, leaning towards him. "You don't look it." She reached forwards, as if to touch the deep, blue-black circles that marred the pale skin under his eyes. He flinched away.

"_Jez_."

Surprised, the two potions partners' heads flipped up. Al stood standing over their table, not looking very happy at all.

Jez snapped out of concern-mode right away and grinned. "Hi Albus," she said with a flutter of her long eyelashes.

Glad of the distraction, Louis ducked his head in hopes of avoiding both her and Al, and resumed the work on their potion.


	12. Commenting On The Weather

**Chapter 12: Commenting On The Weather**

Scorpius looked down at Al, raising an eyebrow in question, voice mildly suspicious. "What's wrong with you, man?"

Al looked up. "What do you mean?"

"Well you've hardly been a barrel of laughs lately," expanded Scorpius.

Al shot him a dirty look.

"Come on, sunshine," grinned Scorpius, sliding down onto the couch next to Al. "Why the storm-cloud eyes?

Al raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry," he said, not sounding it at all. "But who the fuck talks like that?"

"I do," answered Scorpius swiftly. "Now, answer my question, bitch."

"Can you not call me 'bitch'?"

"Can you stop being so depressing?"

"Have you ever heard of tact?"

"Have you ever heard of answering a question directly?"

"You started it."

Scorpius let out a snort of laughter. "That's mature." He paused. "But no I didn't, you did."

Al looked at him sceptically. "When?"

"I don't know. Back in first year or some shit."

"Brilliant," said Al sarcastically. "I'm so glad that's sorted. I can live my life happily now."

"Can you quit with the sarcasm?"

"Can you quit existing?"

"That was harsh," said Al, dryly.

Scorpius nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it was a bit. Sorry."

"That's alright. Carry on."

"With the sarcasm?"

"I actually meant with the existing but that was me doing that, wasn't it?"

"I think we've both got it covered."

Dramatically, Al rolled his eyes. "You copied me," he said, and like an after-thought he added, "Fucking whore."

"And you say _I'm _abusive," remarked Scorpius.

"Has something happened in the last few seconds to make that invalid?"

"I bloody hope not. My whole reputation will be down the drain."

"I'm glad you're proud of abusive being your identifier. Self-confidence; it's a good thing."

"You know I only use hatred and harsh words to hide my ever burning love for you."

"Aaaaand, this is the part of the conversation where I start to get creeped out. Oh, please don't touch me… Ouch!"

Scorpius smiled too innocently. "You like it," he said.

"Scorpius, you just punched me in the stomach. Why would I _like_ it?"

Scorpius shrugged. "Don't ask me to explain your freaky kinks."

"Oh Merlin," sighed Al, dropping his head into his hands and glaring at Scorpius from between his fingers.

"Don't you look at me like that," complained Scorpius.

"Like _what_?"

"Suggestively," explained Scorpius, ruffling his hand through his hair. "I love you, Albus darling, but not like that."

Al rolled his eyes, knowing full well he'd looked at his friend nothing like that. "I actually despise you, you do know that, right?" he said casually.

"My feelings are hurt and we've gotten extremely off-topic," announced Scorpius, giving Al a _look_ before continuing on. "And it's all your fault. Fucking Slytherin, you manipulated the conversation."

"You're a Slytherin," pointed out Al, fixing him with a blank stare.

"Yes, but that's because I come from a long line of high class pureblood criminals. You're one because you're an evil bastard." He smiled in a way that didn't match his words, showing that –like almost always- he was only joking.

"How _touching_," said Albus sarcastically. "I'm definitely going to confide in you now."

A slow grin spread across Scorpius's face. "So, you admit there's something to confess?" he asked.

Al looked unamused. "Not really."

"That is not an answer," said Scorpius, authoritatively. "Now go on or I'll cut your arm off."

Al raised his eyebrows. "You are actually psychotic. Are you aware of this?"

Scorpius just waved it off. "I was joking …for the most part. Now, go or I'll cry or something horrific like that."

"Okay, I'll fucking tell you," said Al, sighing with resignation and irritation. "even though there's nothing really to tell. But I'll have you know I'm only saying this so you'll _shut up._"

"_Thank you!_" Scorpius practically shouted, throwing his arms up into the air in dramatic relief.

"Shut up."

"No, _you _shut up and tell me the story."

"How am I meant to shut up _and _tell you the story?"

Scorpius blinked once in his direction. "Do you actually want to fight me?" he said. "I really have no reservations…"

"I'm confused, alright?" blurted out Al, sick of the conversation going no where.

"…Sexually?"

"No, you prat. As much as you may wish otherwise."

"Oh yes," said Scorpius dryly. "You are everything I've ever dreamed of."

"That tone is really insulting. Why wouldn't you want me?"

"I could write you a novel on the subject, dear friend, but I wouldn't want to crush your fragile self-esteem. I'll let you know, though, that at the moment reason one is 'you take five days to answer _a simple fucking question'_."

"Alright, alright. I can take a hint," said Al, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking down, moodily. "I'm just confused about everything, or everyone, more like. It's as though I've missed something major without even realising I went anywhere. Nothing anyone's saying or doing is making any sense. From you to Jez to Rose and more. Just, when did everything change and why wasn't I informed?" He thought about how he'd been so certain that everything was going fantastically with his girlfriend, but now every time he looked at her she was clinging to his cousin, Louis. And that, coming so soon after Rose's offhand comment about Jez possibly like Louis was not reassuring to Al _at all. _Then there was Rose, who seemed to be avoiding him and everyone else, and was snippy and confusing when he did manage to talk to her. And don't even get him started on his Quidditch team…

Everything was piling up and Al was just finding it too hard to cope. He'd tried to focus on other things; Quidditch, beating James, but it wasn't working. Real life was seeping through the cracks and the anxiety was building up inside of him.

Scorpius was looking almost worried. Cautiously, he began. "You're not…" he trailed off, knowing that Al would know what he was referring to. "again, are you?"

Al shook his head. "No, no," he answered honestly. "Of course not."

"Good. Please, Albus…"

Al looked away. "I won't, I promise."

"Good," said Scorpius with an assertive nod. "You do know I'll hex you into next year if you do, right?"

"You've only told me fifty-thousand times," said Al, dryly. "I'm so glad I can count on you for compassion and support."

"Always," replied Scorpius, either oblivious to Al's sarcasm or ignoring it

There was quiet for a few moments before Al spoke up. "Can you please psychoanalyse me now?"

Scorpius was silent for a few moments, seemingly deep in thought. "You, my friend," he said, eventually, flicking Al on the end of his nose, "are detached from reality. You live in the world in your head, where everything is Quidditch plays and the belief that all girls like you and the Chudley Cannons are actually a decent team." He paused. "And porridge. There is also porridge."

Al just stared at him for a moment. "I swear to Merlin that you are constantly high. Are you actually on drugs or is your mind naturally that warped?"

"Our deep reflective moment is over, isn't it?"

Al grinned. "It most certainly is."

Scorpius grinned back. "Thank Merlin."

* * *

Louis lounged back on the grass, half sitting, half lying. His light hair fell into his eyes as he watched his friend stare off into the distant through lidded eyes, curly eyelashes playing a guard from the harsh midday sun. "Just go and talk to her," he said, allowing his eyes to fall completely shut.

He didn't need his vision to see Lorcan's horrified, wide-eyed look and the frantic shaking of his head.

Louis's mouth tilted up at the corners. "Go talk to her," he repeated, a teasing tone to his naturally quiet voice. "Or I will."

"You wouldn't dare." The tone was full of disbelief and Louis flicked his eyes open, unable to keep himself from grinning.

Pushing himself into an upright sitting position, he made as if to get up. "I would and I will," he said simply. "If you can't…"

"I can." The words were small but determined.

"Well, go on then."

Lorcan glanced further up the shoreline to the small group of girls seated there. "Changed my mind," he said, biting down on his lip. "I can't."

A glimpse of the real Louis had shown through, without the pressures of himself and those around him. Relaxed, grinning, teasing, but gone in an instant.

"Lorcan, it's not that hard."

As usual the words came out a little harsher than he meant them too. He was just tired, exasperated. Headaches seemed to lurk constantly at the back of his head and the mood swings and irritability came on suddenly, without warning.

If only Lorcan wasn't so easily hurt. He was already apologising. "I'm sorry…" And like always, he sounded genuine. Because he was.

Louis dropped his head in his hands. Why was the sun so bright? Wasn't it Winter? "No, I'm sorry," he said genuinely, feeling awful. While Louis was more anti-social, Lorcan was just really shy. He'd never been good at talking to girls, let alone one he had a crush on, and Louis knew that. "Would you like me to walk you through it?"

Lorcan appeared to be deliberating furiously. His eyes flicked between Louis and the Hufflepuff girls a distance away. "I want you to walk me there," he said suddenly, looking more surprised than Louis did at his decision.

Louis smiled and glanced in that direction. "I suppose I can pay my dear cousin a visit."

To Lorcan's credit he only blushed a little at the mention of Lucy. "And I suppose I won't object to joining you."

Since Lorcan had sat down with Louis –and Lucy and Rorie and Cassie- under the tree, they'd be joined by a larger group of Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, both male and female, and Lorcan found him sinking even further into the background. It was a place he didn't truly mind, preferring to watch rather than be watched, listen rather than talk, and he wasn't even sure he'd have been able to talk to Lucy properly had he been given a proper chance. He'd successfully managed to greet her though, upon their arrival, and inwardly he was still beaming.

"So, who's excited about Hogsmede next weekend?" asked Cassie, her own excitement shining through in everything from her tone of voice to her shining eyes.

"Just because you actually have a date," groaned fellow Hufflepuff, Cindy Myers, half-joking.

Cassie grinned at her now boyfriend, Timothy Peters, who she was currently leaning up against. Tim grinned before leaning down to kiss her, to a response of cat-calls and laughter from those around.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do," sighed Cindy dramatically, "now that my partner in single-ness has herself a date. Not looking at anyone in particular …_Lucy_."

The words caught Lorcan's attention and his head shot up. _Lucy had a date?_

"I'm sorry," giggled Lucy, trying and failing to sound genuine. "I-"

Oh. So it was true.

"You have a date?" The words were out before Lorcan even realised he'd opened his mouth.

Lucy looked at him in surprise. "Yeah," she said with a shy grin. "Matthew Davies."

This caused an outbreak of giggling and chattering from the girls, light teasing which made Lucy blush. Lorcan felt like a pail of icy water had been tipped over him at the news.

He would have responded if he could have found the words, but the conversation had already moved on around him and Lucy was no longer looking his way.

He looked to Louis who grimaced and shrugged in return, eyes sympathetic. There wasn't anything he could do.

A gradual change in the tone of conversation as voices quietened and whispers and questioning looks were exchanged between the gathered students. Lorcan looked in the direction everyone's eyes had turned towards, and saw Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy approaching their already large group.

It had been strange enough for Louis and Lorcan to be there, as neither of them _really _associated with most of the people present, but they were both Ravenclaws and not hated, so they had a place in this group. Al and Scorpius however stood out like a dragon in a litter of kittens, with their green and silver ties of Slytherin. Add to that the fact that they barely associated with _anyone _in their year level and it was downright bizarre.

Nevertheless, Scorpius flopped down on the grass amongst them like it was his own family he was joining. For a brief moment Lorcan was left confused as Scorpius shot a smile of flashing white teeth his way before he realised that, of course, it wasn't directed towards him. He felt Louis stiffen beside him and when Lorcan looked at him, Louis was staring at the ground, blond hair flopping into his downcast eyes as he bit down on his lip, a faint blush shadowing his high cheekbones.

Lorcan looked back to the two Slytherins to see that Al did not possess the same ease as his friend, instead hovering awkwardly on his feet. "…Hi," he said eventually.

Slightly cautious, suspicious and questioning greetings were said in reply, and Al sat down beside Scorpius on the grass.

"So has anyone seen Rose Weasley?" asked Scorpius, answering everyone's unasked question as to what they were doing there. "She seems to have vanished, and quite mysteriously at that."

"We just can't find her," said Al with a pointed look at Scorpius. "She hasn't been _abducted_."

"As far as _we _know," said Scorpius, not sounding too concerned.

"Isn't she your girlfriend?" Ryan Gelding asked, voice almost accusing.

It was odd then, the look that passed between the two Slytherins, like that of two people who'd forgotten something they were meant to know, with a touch of something else there too. Lorcan puzzled over it to himself.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I keep her on a leash," answered Scorpius, "She'd chew right through it."

It didn't seem that anyone had seen her, not since class at least. ("Merlin forbid that Rose Weasley _ever_ miss a lesson.") And someone's suggestion for them to ask the group of Gyffindors seated not too far away was dismissed by Scorpius wrinkling his nose, and proclaiming "Ew," at the mention of the house.

Lorcan didn't have long to ponder the whereabouts of Rose Weasley, for –if things weren't awkward enough- a game of Truth or Dare was proposed. Although only rarely played properly (with the use of the Weasley's Wizarding Wheeze's product that made it pretty damn difficult to lie your way out of a truth or back down from a dare), Truth or Dare was an extremely popular game, especially among the senior students, where it was basically a glorified Spin The Bottle. It was not at all something that Lorcan wanted to participate in with a group of older students he barely even knew.

It seemed Lorcan wasn't the only one not wanting to participate. He had to suppress a smile when Lucy stood up, made a somewhat feeble excuse about why she needed to head back up to the castle –that was readily accepted in people's haste to get the game underway- and turned to leave. It was with relief and joy that Lorcan was able to join her, after Louis announced that he'd accompany her and Lorcan, of course, tagged along.

There was a certain lack of speech as the three students headed back up to the castle. Lucy looked distracted, with darting eyes and teeth that bit delicately down on her pink lips, and Louis had his hands in his pockets and eyes on the ground, face as expressionless as ever. For two people who seemed not to even notice the other was there, Lorcan could sense a strange amount of tension between them. He wasn't aware that it was just the awkwardness of two people that should have had a lot more to say to each other, but don't. He worried over it, disliking the silence more and more and just needing to break it.

He found himself searching his mind for something socially acceptable for him to say. Everything that floated to the front of his consciousness was a touch too on the side of insane for him to spurt out in front of the girl he liked. When he finally did speak, even he was surprised at what came out. "So, Scorpius and Rose were pretty random."

Two heads span around to look at him and he found himself cowering back a little, before he could even try to gauge their reactions. It wasn't entirely to his surprise that Louis laughed and Lorcan had known him for long enough that he barely even needed to urge his nerves not to be offended. "So, you gossip now?" said Louis through his grin.

Lorcan shifted disgruntledly. "I could comment on the weather," he responded haughtily.

Lucy elbowed Louis gently. "Be nice," she scorned, offering Lorcan a smile that made his insides melt. "He's right. It's insane! Everyone's talking about it."

"Okay."

Lucy shot Louis a look. "Okay?" she repeated. "Is that really your response? That's not how you continue a conversation, Louis. Do you have no social skills whatsoever?"

Lorcan couldn't help but laugh. Louis was his best friend and he'd never wish him any harm, but it was nice to see someone poking fun at him, instead of him doing it to Lorcan.

"Well, maybe I don't want to have this conversation," replied Louis, as they passed through the front door and into the castle.

"That's nice," said Lucy sarcastically, a twinge of hurt marring her tone. "Thanks for making the effort."

"I'm sorry," sighed Louis, running his hand through his hair agitatedly. "It's, umm …interesting."

With a small smile, Lucy shook her head. "You're ridiculous," she said, sounding amused. "I'll just have to talk to Lorcan then."

Hearing his name, Lorcan's heart skipped a beat. He glanced at Louis, who upon their eyes meeting, broke out into a mischievous grin. "I suppose you will," Louis said to Lucy. "I'll see you later then." He nodded a brisk goodbye then turned the other direction at the intersection they'd just reached. Eyes open wide in shock and horror, Lorcan stared after him. He turned to look at Lucy with the same expression still stamped across his face. Upon seeing her, dark hair hanging down into her glistening eyes and face furrowed adorably in confusion, it was like a block fell over the entirety of Lorcan's mind and he froze, petrified for a moment, before blurting out the stupidest of excuses and hurrying off after Louis, not seeing that he'd left Lucy standing there alone, looking hurt and confused.

* * *

It wasn't an _unfair_ advantage that they had. Or, well, maybe it was, but it was an advantage nonetheless and there was no way the two Slytherins were going to lay it to waste.

Al always felt a little guilty when using the Marauder's Map for what he could only describe as "stalking," but Scorpius delighted in the activity and his friend was right, Al _was_ complaining about not being able to find Rose and this was the best solution. Still, he wasn't sure why they needed to lie in wait in an abandoned corridor, waiting for Rose to fall into their trap. But Scorpius had a thirst for dramatics and Al had stopped him at giving their "operation" a "codename" so he supposed he could put up with the rest.

Al was pretty sure that if Scorpius could have had his way completely, they'd be hiding under the invisibility cloak, but as it was Al had needed to do a temporary trade with James in order to receive the Map. He couldn't help but wonder when it had become so difficult for him to converse with his favourite cousin.

She'd been in class, of course, but it was amazing the amount of methods she had to avoid conversation (also known as interrogation into why-the-bloody-hell she'd been acting so weird lately).

But Al was honestly worried about her. From her pulling this stunt with Scorpius, who she'd usually only put up with for Al's sake, to her distracted, jittery manner and frequent disappearances, something was definitely wrong with Rose.

"How long do you think we've got?" asked Al, his arms crossed over his chest as he leant against the castle wall.

Scorpius glanced down at the map from where he stood beside Al. "Approximately five seconds," he answered in a low whisper.

Before Al could react Scorpius had pushed up his sleeves and jumped out into open view, wand held out in front of him.

There was a yelp of surprise, undoubtedly from Rose, and "What the _fuck _are you doing, you completely psycho?" also from the girl. Debating whether or not to join his friend or let him face the Weasley wrath alone, Al hesitated on the spot.

"Uhh, a little help would be nice, Albus."

With a roll of his eyes, Al stepped out from the shadows. He let out a small snort of laughter at the sight he was greeted with. Rose, with a characteristically angry expression, held two wands in one hand and a wincing Scorpius from a lock of his blond hair in the other.

Pleased to see Rose alive and well (and as violent as ever), Al grinned and greeted her cheerily.

"'Afternoon, Rosie," he said.

She glared at him. "Restrain your idiotic excuse for a best friend, would you?" she huffed, letting go of Scorpius's hair.

Al smirked. "You mean your boyfriend?"

Rose crinkled her nose, as if disgusted. "Don't remind me," she said.

"My feelings are hurt," announced Scorpius, to no response.

"I'm sorry, Rose," said Al, keeping eye contact with his cousin as he slowly and carefully removed his wand from his pocket. "But this is an intervention." Before she could react he was firing the spell ("Expelliamus!") and both wands flew from Rose and into Al's outstretched hand.

Scorpius quickly glanced at Al out of the corner of his eyes, to which Al gave a brief nod in reply, and the next second they'd both grabbed Rose's arms, as according to their plan, and began to drag her up and into the hidden area behind the tapestry of Odgen And The Dragon.

They fought against kicks as Rose wiggled between them, red hair flying from side to side. They ignored strings of swear words and some rather creative insults and made it into the seclusion their hidden spot provided.

They dropped Rose, as gently as they could bother, onto the floor below them and took a seat each opposite her, all three of them resting their backs against one of the tunnel like area's walls.

She seemed to have given up the fight and just stared at them both incredulously. "What do you _want_?" she asked.

"All your money," replied Scorpius at the same time Al answered, "to talk to you."

Al gave a warning glare and Scorpius rolled his eyes but motioned for him to continue. "We just wanted to talk to you, Rosie," said Al, in what he was sure was a reasonable tone.

"_Talk to me_?" she repeated, as if she'd never heard of the concept. "Then why couldn't you have _asked_, like normal, _civilised_, people. Not bloody attack-" She broke off mid-word, spotting something that was sticking out of Scorpius's robe pocket. Her mouth fell open in shock and anger and her brown eyes narrowed dangerously. "The Map! You've been spying on me! How fucking _dare_ you? You have no right-"

It was Scorpius who broke her off. "Calm down, Weasley," he said, voice weighted with annoyance. "No one's spying on you. I can't speak for Albus, but I, at least, have a thousand better things to waste my time and effort on."

"We're just worried about you," intercepted Al, before any further damage could be done. At the look Scorpius gave him he corrected himself. "_I'm _worried about you. Please, just let us know what's happening, and if we can help.

It took a few minutes of artful persuasion on Al's part to get Rose even close to opening up. Scorpius barely seemed to be paying either of them any attention, drumming his wand against the floor or tracing bright red sparks through the air.

"Please, Rosie," said Al, one last time.

Rose looked agitated, running a hand through her red hair and not meeting either of their eyes. "Look," she said, looking almost defeated. "I'll tell you what I can, alright?"

Scorpius sighed dramatically. "_Thank you!_" he exclaimed, stuffing his wand back in his pocket.

Al shot him an annoyed look before turning back to Rose and smiling supportively. "Thanks, Rosie. We won't make you say more than the basics."

Rose smiled slightly back. "Thanks," she said softly. "I would tell you, Al, if I could. But I really can't, at the moment at least..." Her emphasis on the 'you' made it clear she was talking about Al alone.

"That's alright," said Al. "I understand."

Rose nodded. "See, the thing is, I'm kind of seeing someone." Her brow furrowed slightly and she stared at the wall opposite them. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.

"Someone who isn't me?" asked Scorpius needlessly. His tone conveyed feigned horror that made Rose glare at him, annoyed.

"No," she said sarcastically, her eyes almost venomous. "I went through all this just to tell you something you'd be aware of."

"Well, it wouldn't surprise me. You're being needlessly dramatic. Your answer's not at all surprising. We could've easily guessed that for ourselves."

Rose's face reddened angrily. "Look," she said, "You're the one who hunted me down, demanding an answer."

At some point they'd all ended up on their feet, the small space barely able to contain them.

"Well I would've liked the answer to be a little less predictable," answered Scorpius. "You bore me, Rose Weasley. Please, tell me it's at least someone interesting, someone scandalous. ...Are you shagging a teacher?"

Rose looked horrified. "No! What is _wrong_ with you?"

"What's wrong with _you?_ Sneaking around like a criminal, making-"

"Stop!" Al just about shouted, stepping in between the two of them in an attempt to stop the argument, break the tension.

Scorpius just glared at her over Al's shoulder, eyes narrowed. "I bet it's not even anything big. You just want the attention, don't you?"

"That's enough," said Al coldly, putting his hand on Scorpius's shoulder and forcing him to turn away, stepping so his own body was created a barrier between his best friend and his cousin. "Let's go. Rose, I'll talk to you later."

"Oh, so you're choosing him over me," said Rose arguementively.

"Oh, here she goes again. Whine, whine, whine."

"Scorpius." Al's tone was warning.

"Fine, fine. I'll let myself out." He shoved himself out from under Al's grip, and stormed off towards the tapestry, flicking it aside with a wave of his wand and jumping down, landing with a resounding thud against the ground below.


	13. Entertain Me

**Chapter 13: Entertain Me**

Scorpius has a habit of treating people like they're a line of toys his well-meaning parents have set out for him to play with. He judges each one critically and chooses his favourites, judging on how they can entertain his easily straying mind. His decisions are made quite consciously, his ingrained rebellious streak often playing a large part in reaching his conclusions. As a first year he'd been quite aware of the reaction befriending Albus Potter would inspire, but he'd heard all the awful things people would say about his father and he made every decision he could to differentiate himself from him. It was too late not to be sorted into Slytherin but everything else that he could do, he did. He grew his hair long and wore it messy, befriended old enemies of his family and acted openly and affectionately where he his father was closed and stiff, creating a riff between father and son that Scorpius never truly realised. Draco didn't want the same for his son as he'd had for himself. He wanted his son to have freedom, a choice in the person he was to become. He left him to grow up as he liked, without the overbearing prejudicial views that had been ingrained into him. So in response Draco's lips had twitched and his eyes had looked disapproving but his face remained impassive and he spoke not a word against it. Sometimes it was like Scorpius was trying to push for a reaction from his father, any reaction. Sometimes it was just like Scorpius wanted to choose the newest, shiniest toys on the shelf and play them off against each other to relieve the boredom that always shadowed him.

There were some people that just seemed to go against his usual pattern, however. Rose Weasley was one of them. Sometimes her dramatics amused him and sure they stirred things up, but she irritated him too. He felt like she was one of those toys that looked brilliant and inviting on the outside, drawing him in with glossy paint and promises on the packaging, but once you'd opened it up you realised how repetitive its function was and you were bored after an hour. But he was stubborn and he still persisted with her, poking and prodding to see what more she could do.

The result left him angry and frustrated, and agitation still pumped through his veins as he stalked through the corridors after his confrontation with Rose, hoping the movement would bring him some calm. It worked in that it pulled his mind from the disagreement, but then he'd never been too involved in it anyway. The urge for confrontation, to pick a fight or just do _something_ was still there however, and the reckless energy picked at his mind, causing it to reach out, to think of whom to move onto now. A name, an image, came automatically to his mind and he said to himself that they were currently just the best toy on the pile. Somewhat new to his attentions, hadn't yet been fully tried out, but he was smiling to himself without even realising it as he reached into his pocket to pull out the map it still contained.

* * *

Back up in their dorm, the laughter of the current conversation died in Rorie's throat as the girls around her began to grill her for the gossip on Louis.

"I think he's just shy," said Norah reasonably.

"Shy?" repeated Hayley Gibson, whose outspokenness usually made Rorie laugh, but now just made her feel a little sick. "If I looked like him I'd parade about all day saying whatever I liked. Naked." She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder. "I think he just doesn't have anything to say."

"That's a bit harsh, Hay," said Norah.

Hayley shrugged, not looking too apologetic. "Or he's just not that into her."

"Well done, Hayley. That was much nicer," scolded Norah sarcastically.

Hayley grinned in response. For all their differences, she and Norah were the best of friends.

Rorie wasn't paying a lot of attention to the two of them, the words they spoke hitting her hard, the possibility playing through her mind. The whole thing _had _sounded too good to be true…

"Don't listen to her," said Cassie fiercely, glaring at Hayley. "Of course he likes you. How could he not?"

Rorie managed a small smile. "He was really nice in Potions," she said in defence of herself. Her voice came out more confident than she felt and she was glad that she could say that confidently. He was only different with more people around, she knew it.

* * *

Being alone must have given Scorpius the perfect moment to pounce, because Louis can't think of any reason why Scorpius would be perched upon that ledge and why he'd jump down from it the moment Louis passed by if it weren't that he'd been waiting for him. It was mere seconds before their footsteps fell into line and Louis found that Scorpius was walking right beside him and it was like he'd been injected with a joint jolt of apprehension and exhilaration and he just wanted to ask "Why?" but his mouth couldn't seem to open to form the words so he strode forward like there wasn't anyone beside him and he kept his eyes fixed in front like he wasn't forcing himself to resist the urge to give in to the luxury of a sideways glance. Curiosity always seemed to be his undoing.

"What are you doing?" Louis managed to ask eventually. His voice was cracked slightly, as if from lack of use, and his mouth felt dry.

He didn't look at him but he could just _hear _the smirk that must be creeping across Scorpius's smug face as he answered, "Walking."

"Could you do that …somewhere else?" It was a lame response but Louis's brain was in such a state that it's miraculous he managed to word anything at all.

Scorpius's response didn't quite seem to match up with what Louis had just said or maybe it did and Louis just heard him wrong or maybe Louis doesn't even know what he said in the first place because all he knows now is that there's about a 94% chance that Scorpius just touched his wrist and said, "I'm lonely," in a voice that implied a thousand different things that can't be said without blushing.

Louis's breath hitched in his throat and he pulled away from Scorpius, scowling heavily at the smirk that played at the corner of Scorpius's mouth. He walked on, increasing his speed with hopes of further separating the two of them.

"Come on, Louis," calls Scorpius. "Entertain me."

"I'm busy." The words are short, forced, and entirely untrue.

"Oh, I won't be a bother," assured Scorpius in a voice that was far too innocent to be anything but the opposite.

Louis started walking faster.

Scorpius matched his determined pace, trailing just at Louis's heels. Louis kept casting him nervous glances out of the corner of his eyes while Scorpius looked entirely unbothered by the proceedings.

"Where are we going?" asked Scorpius after a minute or two.

Louis stopped abruptly. "_We_ are not going anywhere," he hissed, turning around. He found his face far too close to Scorpius's and immediately spun back around, heart beating erratically. He wasn't even sure where he was going anymore. If he'd started off with a predetermined destination in mind he'd sure as hell forgotten it now.

"Where are you going?" Scorpius corrected. Louis could hear the grin in his voice. He wanted to punch him.

Hot breath tickled against the back of Louis's neck. He stuttered out an answer. "Err, that way," he said vaguely, pointing down a random corridor and abruptly turning to head that way. Scorpius followed and Louis could hear him humming under his breath. In his pocket, Louis's hand clenched around his wand.

They continued on for a few more minutes, Louis taking random turn after random turn as if trying to lose Scorpius, even though he followed far too close for that to happen. They reached what appeared to be a dead end. "That's it," he said, spinning around so suddenly that Scorpius who'd been walking just behind him stumbled to the side. In one swift moment Louis had his wand at Scorpius's throat and he only needed to step forward to have Scorpius step backwards in turn, ending up pinned up against the cool stone of the wall behind.

"I love it when you play dirty," purred Scorpius and his eyes flashed mockingly in a way that made Louis wonder if Scorpius was trying to drive him to breaking point.

Louis's eyes narrowed. "You are so- so-" he broke off, unable to even think up a word strong enough for how he felt right then.

"Amazing?" supplied Scorpius, not looking too bothered by the weapon pressing into his pulse point.

"Distracting," corrected Louis, lowering his wand and stepping away. "Oh god, you're so distracting." He screwed eyes shut and shook his head, as if trying to shake off Scorpius's presence.

"Don't pretend you don't like it." Scorpius's voice sounded like an attack.

Louis shot him a disgusted look. "Are you really that arrogant?"

Scorpius was silent.

Louis rolled his eyes. "Just leave me alone. I don't care for your games."

Louis wouldn't believe that he saw Scorpius's face fall. He glanced down at his watch. It was just past curfew. He could've sworn he hadn't set out that late. When Louis looked back up Scorpius was leaning back against the wall, arms crossed, surveying him from under hooded eyes.

"What do you want?" he asked, not caring at how harsh it came out.

Scorpius lifted his shoulders in the slightest of shrugs.

Louis laughed, devoid of humour. "You don't even know, do you?" He asked, stepping forward. Scorpius watched him wearily and Louis strangely liked the feeling that the tables had turned. That he had the upper hand. "Come on," he said, hand twisting into the hem of Scorpius's shirt. "You were asking for it."

Maybe he was bluffing. Maybe he wasn't.

But it seemed Scorpius was buying his call. He stepped forward, closing the gap between them. It was eyes on each other's and breathing just a little heavier than normal and Louis could feel his heart beating through his chest and then Scorpius's against his as the final distance was covered and their lips met and Scorpius' hands were on him, pulling them even closer together.

The moment was just long enough for them to lose themselves in it until unbalanced, they fell back against the wall and it was the sudden impact of body against hard stone that snapped them out of. Unmistakably too in the quiet, came the sound of a voice. Too rough, too familiar, too close.

For a moment they stared at each other, breaths rising and falling in double time. There were no words to be said. The next Scorpius was grabbing Louis's hand, pulling him after him. "I know a way out," he said, almost dragging him towards a nearby tapestry. The thud of approaching footsteps echoed off the walls and Louis decided to trust him for this moment and together they ran, away from the pursuing caretaker.

Scorpius shoved the tapestry aside, let go of Louis and pulled himself up into the space inside. Then he turned, offered a hand, and pulled the other boy up after him. "This is just a way through," he explained, not stopping the hurried pace. "He'll know it, but it'll take us up a corridor and then there's away outside."

"Outside?" asked Louis. "Aren't we on the top floor?"

Scorpius turned around just long enough for Louis to catch the white of his grin. "It goes to the roof."

Sure enough moments later they broke out into another corridor, where, alarmingly, the caretaker's cat sat -wide-eyed and could it be smiling?- as if it'd been waiting for them all this time. It probably had been.

"I'm not often frightened of cats," said Scorpius evenly as they stood stock still and staring. "But there is something about that one's eyes..."

Louis smiled and ducked down to the cat's level. "She's actually quite lovely," he said quietly, holding his hand out towards her.

"Oh," said Scorpius, "You're on first name basis with the demon-cat?"

"Her name isn't She, Scorpius."

"I thought you said Sheep," he countered shortly.

"…It isn't that either."

"Drats," announced Scorpius, tone nonchalant. "Shall we move on?"

Louis nodded. "Preferably before we can be hung from the ceilings by our ankles."

Scorpius's tone was grave. "Or drowned at the bottom of the lake."

They made their way through, well Louis wasn't quite sure what it was, but it opened out like a window and stepping through it brought them into the cold night air. He shivered and pulled his thin school robes tight around himself in attempt of warding out the freezing wind.

When Scorpius stepped out after him, his attention was less on the elements, more on their surrounds. You could practically see the thoughts ticking behind his grey eyes before a small smile crept across his face. "Seems this spot is already taken," he said in a quiet voice that made Louis blush and wonder how Scorpius could be suggestive about _everything_. Louder, he spoke again and there was the distinctive sound of a devilish grin about his voice. "Well, well, well. Isn't this scandalous?"

Curiously, Louis followed his line of sight. In the split second before they pulled away he saw just what it was that had caught Scorpius's attention. It struck a bolt of guilt right into Louis' stomach and he breathed a sharp intake of breath, because how could he forget that Scorpius had a girlfriend? Next, a flood of feelings overwhelmed him. It majorly confusion, but there was anger too. Confusion overwhelmed because Scorpius was grinning, looking pleased, eyes alight even, and it didn't make sense. None of it made sense. Rose Weasley shouldn't have been before them at all, let alone snogging another guy. Especially not this one. What _was _she doing, kissing Teddy Lupin?


	14. Lion Cub

**Chapter 14 - Lion Cub**

An angel fallen from grace. The boy with the pretty face. One face, another. Another and another. So many he no longer recognised his own. Was there even a face that belonged specifically to him? Was there one identity that was just _Teddy?_

He didn't know.

He felt whoever Teddy was had died long ago. Maybe the first Teddy with his parents, and then the other; popular, ambitious Head Boy with the Veela girlfriend and the top of the class marks. Teddy couldn't tell you what had happened to him. He didn't know when he fell so completely off the tracks. He didn't want to tell you why.

All he knew was that he was digging his own grave, and it seemed he wouldn't feel content until he buried himself in it.

This girl had come along -although really he'd known her all along- and as down and out as he may have been, she had him looking to the sun once more. Laughing, joking Teddy_, _once kissed by fire, a laugh clear and loud, thoughts, opinions, dreams. A mind that kept him guessing, a mouth that kept him laughing.

Teddy didn't know what had first driven Rose outside, but she began to join him on his Games Keeper errands -assistant to the assistant, as it were. And they talked. First it was the family connection, but then that evolved (to everything and nothing and all that lay in between) and along with this so did their relationship, breaking into the realms of friendship and, with every time Teddy caught himself staring at her pouty lips, delicate thin fingers, or into her wide brown eyes, teetering on the edge of something more.

It wasn't dull work, his job, but while it occupied the body, it left the mind free to roam. Teddy grew to resent this, as images of this cheeky sixth year -a student, oh Merlin- lurked behind his eyes, and her words played over and over again in his mind. His Victoire may have been beautiful, but thousands of miles and two extremely different lifestyles were not an effective defense against outside influences.

Crush was the word he decided to use. Positively juvenile, he knew, but suggested also, to his relief, unable to be helped and -most importantly- quickly passing.

Then she'd stepped over the line -leaped right over it, more like- and everything had had to change.

Rose wanted to be a lion; bold and brave. Hold your head up, seize your dreams, stand for what you believe. Repeat it as a mantra. One life, one chance.

She was clawing her way through life, blind yet purpose bound. Too many died too young, left lives unlived. She never wanted to be one of them. But maybe she was just pretending, for she jumped too high and then she fell and it was like her mask had been ripped off, and she was no lion, just a stupid, scared little girl.

She'd known it was a bad idea when she'd done it, but hadn't that just been part of the excitement? She'd got that far and then no further because she wasn't that person. It had been a constant fight, pushing away the bookworm stereotype that had been passed down by her mother, and she thought that finally she'd broken it. No one walked all over her. She was strong, confident, respected. But then she'd realised that her mother was all these things too. And Rose didn't want to be her mother. She didn't want to be _just _a Weasley. She wanted to be Rose -only she didn't entirely know who Rose was.

Turns out Rose wasn't this fearless risk-taker she had mistaken her for. She'd taken the risk. She'd done it, she kissed him. But then he had been shocked and looked at her with what might have been pity and she panicked and she ran away and she'd been hiding ever since. Not a lion, but a mouse.

She wasn't just mourning for herself now, though, for the person she wasn't, because it wasn't until after this, when the hurt came like a hurricane, that she realised how much she actually liked him.

It was a game right up until feelings had gotten involved.

She wanted to write to him over Christmas break, a simple 'I miss you,' for she did. She missed him with what felt like all her heart, but he never reached out to her, not once, and she could only begin to imagine what he was thinking.

Teddy hadn't turned up to Christmas dinner, turned out he'd broken it off with Victoire who'd burst into tears in the middle of the main course and Rose's hopes had so selfishly risen. It was a temporary elation, however, for nothing followed this but more silence from his end and constant worry from hers.

Then, like some scheming Slytherin, she'd hatched her plan. All she had to do was weather Scorpius's company, and she had her shield. She'd thought he wouldn't be able to hurt her from behind it. She was wrong.

* * *

Rose sat in the Gyffindor common room. Her homework was open in front of her, but her eyes were glazed and her attention focussed far away.

James took the seat beside her and dumped a gift in the form of a chocolate frog on her open book. "I'm renaming this place 'The Lion Den'," he said, pulling softly at the end of her ponytail.

"Why's that?" she asked, and he looked fixedly at her.

"Rose."

With effort she withdraws herself from her revelry. "I'm sorry," she says, "I wasn't-"

James nodded like he understood. "Listening, I know. It's okay, not everyone always does."

"To you?"

"To anyone, really. They hear what they want to hear. They listen just to wait for a pause so they can talk about themselves. We're all guilty of it."

"Are you okay?" she asked her cousin, concerned. This was decidedly Un-James behaviour.

"Are you?" he asks.

There was genuine concern in his blue eyes and she sighed. "Am I a lion, James?"

"You're a Gryffindor."

"But am I a lion?"

He seems to deliberate this for a moment, twirling her hair around his fingers and watching it catch in the light. "You're just a cub," he says, eventually. His face lights up with a grin and _this _is James. "But you've got potential."

"I want to be a lion," she admits, voice firm with honesty.

"Then be a lion."

"It's not that simple," she objectives.

"First lesson, little lion: It is."

"Thank you, James."

"You're welcome, Rosie." He ruffled her hair.

Lying in bed that night, Rose made a decision.

* * *

Teddy's t-shirt stuck to his chest with sweat, his hair stuck upright and his breathing fell heavy. Early morning sun beat down upon him, relentless, and in the Black Lake, the Giant Squid splashed tentacles idly. His circuit completed, he collapsed onto the giant lakeside rocks, obscured by trees and distance, sunning himself like a snake or lizard.

Through closed eyes he heard her voice.

"How was your run?"

His eyes sprung open with a jolt. "What are you doing here, Rose?"

She hesitated at the edge of the rock, half hidden by shadow. "I don't want to be scared anymore."

"You didn't have to run away." He couldn't help the hurt that crept into his voice.

"You could have let me know that."

That she allowed him to hear her own vulnerability meant more than he could say. "I know," he said.

She clambered up onto the rock beside him, so they were both sitting up, staring out across the lake. Rose turned and looks at him. "Which is it?" she asks.

His eyes meet hers. He doesn't grasp her meaning, but feels apprehension at the question nonetheless. "What do you mean?"

It was obvious she didn't want to say, but what he admires about Rose is that she'll fire through her doubt and say it anyway. She doesn't let him down. "Was it something about right or wrong, or did you just not want to kiss me?"

Teddy could hear the hurt and that only hurt him. She was never meant to feel like this. He opens his mouth although he doesn't know what words he means to say, but she ploughs on, like now she's started she's simply unable to stop.

"I don't mind which, I just need to know. I'm so sorry I ruined everything, I never meant to-"

He broke her off. "Rose." She looked up and away, like you might do when desperately trying to fight back tears. Gently he lifted a hand to her face, turning her slightly so to look at him. Her brown eyes were wide and he had to work to keep his emotions in control. "Rose, listen to me."

She nodded and didn't say a thing, like the words had died out inside her.

"I want to," he said, voice thick with emotion. "You can't know how much I want to. I-" he broke off, unable quite to express what he was thinking. He shook his head. "I want to. I wanted to kiss you then, I want kiss you now. As far as I can tell, I'm always going to want to kiss you."

"But?" she asks, like it's inevitable. Which it is.

"But I can't."

"But you can." When she looked at him then, she was all Gryffindor. "Anything's possible, Teddy. You taught me that once."

"I don't know why you want anything to do with me," he says, honestly. "You shouldn't."

Her lips quirked up in a tiny smile that is all her own and like she didn't care that he was sweat drenched, hopeless and inconsistent, she slung her arms around his neck and pulls him close to her. "Don't tell me what to do," she murmured, but allowed him to close the distance between their lips.

He only feels a little guilty as he does so.

* * *

Scorpius is a frozen lake in Winter, Rose fierce fire. They both burn in equal measure, their arguments scorching. Rose isn't blind to the irony of seeking out Teddy after her argument with her '_boyfriend,' _but she doesn't like it.

"This secret is going to eat me alive."

"None of this would be possible otherwise."

"I wish things were different."

"I feel the same."

There was comfort in each other's arms. They could lie and pretend this would last.

If pressed maybe Rose could have admitted that they're doomed to crash and burn, but not even she thought everything would fall so soon.

"Isn't this scandalous?" asked Scorpius with malicious glee.

Louis looked on, confused. Teddy paled like he might faint, his hair, face, eyes, switching out of his control. Rose felt the anger she was never meant to feel with Teddy so near brew up inside her. No, no, no. This wasn't meant to happen like this. Everything was perfect.

"Maybe you're somewhat interesting after all, Rosie Posie. Been fooling me all this time?"

"Isn't she your _girlfriend?_" asks Louis, and yes, isn't this just so very complicated?

Scorpius glanced back at him, shrugged. "Not a very good one, apparently."

Her cousin still looked confused, but he was angry too. "What is _wrong _with you people?"

"Louis..." It's Teddy who spoke and he stepped towards the Ravenclaw, his movements awkward, uncertain.

Louis stood still frozen in place. "Both of you..." he shook his head, seemingly unable to finish his sentence. "What about my _sister?"_


	15. Squashed Bug

**Chapter 15: Squashed Bug**

Like pushing the boundaries wasn't going to get you in some kind of trouble. Like doing this was good for you at all. Like you didn't secretly desire the attention.

Louis didn't even realise they were talking to him at first. The pounding in his head, the hunger in his stomach. His focus blurred, mind scattered.

"Should we call the nurse?"

Then his name, a hand on his shoulder. "Louis."

Timothy Peters's face came spinning into view. "Huh?"

"Are you alright, man?"

Louis tried to nod. It hurt. "Yeah, I-" He tried to stand up and fell back down, never noticing he left his sentence hanging.

"I'm going to get someone." It was a different voice.

Louis shook his head. "No, no. I'm fine. Really." None of his dormmates were convinced. "What- what time is it?"

"Breakfast. Do you want to come down with us? I think you need to eat..."

His tongue flicked across his chapped lips, throat dry when he opened his mouth. "Just some water..."

Tim looked concerned. "I'll bring something up."

It hurt. It hurt so much. Louis nodded feebly.

* * *

At breakfast, Lucy was dragged over by Cassie to meet up with her boyfriend ("I feel so awkward going on my own!"). Tim smiled at the two of them, standing at the Ravenclaw table, piece of toast in hand and befuddled expression on his face as he stared at the plates of food before him. "Lucy," he said. "Would you mind doing me a favour?"

Lucy furrowed her brow. "Sure," she said, uncertainly. "What would it be?"

"Could you take some food up to your cousin? I'll give you our password."

"Louis? Is he okay?"

"Er, yeah, I hope so."

"That really doesn't sound reassuring," said Lucy, worry filling her. "What's wrong with him? Should he see the nurse?"

"You'd be a better judge than me," said Tim, as he heaped a variety of foods onto a plate and transfigured another into a tray to hold it. "You know him better."

Lucy's first reaction was to open her mouth, to disagree, because she hardly knew him, but he was her cousin and didn't that sound bad? So she kept her mouth shut and nodded, accepted the plate and tray from Tim and made her way up to Ravenclaw tower alone, feeling odd and awkward with the tray of food hovering alongside her

* * *

They were almost in the Great Hall before James screamed and Rose stopped like she felt her heart had for a moment. "Spawn of the devil!"

Rose hit him. "James, they're children!"

Her cousin gave her a pointed look. "They're Slytherins."

"Your brother is a Slytherin."

"Exactly."

Rose rolled her eyes. "You're such a dick."

"Hey," said James. "Don't be mean to me. It's almost your birthday."

"That doesn't make any sense at all," said Rose, but smiled, thinking of her birthday and of Teddy.

"Fine," shrugged James. "Dismiss me and see what happens."

He tried for an evil, threatening look but it just made Rose laugh. She smiled sweetly. "Are you sure you're not the Devil's spawn?" she asked.

"Hey," objected James. "The results came back inconclusive."

Rose linked her arm through his, checked the path for any more Slytherin first years that might startle the poor Gryffindor seventh year, and led the two of them inside to breakfast.

* * *

"Don't you have your own bathroom?"

Jez smudged black lines around her dark brown eyes. "I don't answer to you, Scorpius."

"No, but you do take up all the mirror space."

"Are you calling me fat?"

"Yes."

Albus ambled in, topless. His hair stuck up worse than normal, a dozen different directions. "I've got three bottles of liquor and I'm trying to work out which'll make the most appropriate breakfast." He wrapped his arms around Jez's thin waist, pressing a kiss against her neck. She giggled and swatted him away.

"I find orange juice works for me," answered Scorpius.

"You're doing it wrong."

"No, Albus. You are."

Al sank to the floor, resting his head back against the tile wall. "I just don't want to, anymore. Can we run away? Leave everything and everyone."

Scorpius and Jez exchanged a look, concerned.

Crouching down at his level Scorpius said, "Sure thing, buddy. As soon as school's down."

Jez sat on the floor beside him, makeup complete on only one eye. She slipped her arm through his and he rested his head on her shoulder and snuggled against her. "Now, please," he muttered.

Jez kissed his hair. "You're not going to run away, Al," she said. "There isn't a single thing here that you can't face."

He smiled against her shoulder and when he spoke the words were quiet and muffled. "Please don't leave me," he may have said. And, quite possibly, "Not for him."

* * *

Curling up in bed, exhausted, cuddling into the pillows, enjoying the silence, so rare and sweet; Louis quickly fell back into sleep. A weight on the bed caused him to stir slightly, face scrunching up before he hid it in the pillow.

Lucy hesitated at his bedside, plate in hand. With one eye barely open, Louis surveyed her with the confusion of his dreary state.

"Lou," she said softly, appearing not to want to wake him. In her hands was a tray. The aroma of toast and egg and bacon drifted towards in him in the air from the open window. His stomach rumbled.

Stretching he sat up, yawned and ruffled his hair. "Hey cousin," he smiled, slightly, voice thick with sleep.

"Umm, I brought you breakfast?"

He let out a small laugh. "I can see that."

Lucy gestured behind her. "Umm, Lorcan let me in here. Tim sent me up..."

"Lorcan?"

Lorcan's face appeared in the doorway. "Hmm?"

Louis squinted. "What are you doing, hiding out there?"

Lorcan blushed. "Oh, I'm not hiding- I..."

"Just come in here," he said, focussing on anything other than his hunger. He sat up and patted the free space on his bed. "We'll all have breakfast together, it'll be really cute."

Both Lucy and Lorcan stared at him with either shock or concern or a little of both. "Louis..." said Lucy, but trailed off. Lorcan hesitantly entered the room. For one moment he glanced at Lucy but blushed so violently that he then persisted in staring at the ceiling like the secrets of the universe were scribbled across it.

"I'm sorry," said Louis, in a way that his words all seemed to trip over themselves and each other, "I'm just... Sorry. I'm fine, really. I'm fine." It was doubtful that either of them had ever heard anything less convincing and Louis wasn't blind to that. He sighed and tried not to wince at the ache in his head. "I'm just tired. Really."

"What's this?" asked Lorcan suddenly.

Louis looked. His friend had picked up a piece of paper from Louis's bedside table, and was rotating and squinting at it in turn.

"Oh," said Louis. "Um, that'd be the reason I'm tired. It's that story you told me, about the blind prince and the dragon."

Lorcan was almost laughing. "I can see that," he said, "But _this_," he pointed at Louis's drawing at the bottom of the page. "What is this? It looks like a squashed bug."

Louis flinched. "That'd be the dragon."

This time Lorcan really did laugh. "It- it- it's _so bad."_

"Let me see!" exclaimed Lucy and Louis literally face-palmed.

"Shut up," he said, but he was kind of laughing himself, "I drew it at, like, 3am."

"Haven't you heard of sleep?" Lucy asked, hiding her giggle behind her hand as she inspected the drawing.

"I'm familiar with the concept, yes."

Once again, Lorcan's eyes were wide and serious. "You should get more of it," he said, and with the honesty he never neglected added, "You look awful."

"So I keep hearing," said Louis, running a shaking hand through his hair. His eyes couldn't leave the tray before him.

"Let's eat," said Lucy, with sympathy in his voice.

Louis took a shaky breath and nodded. "Okay."

* * *

Isabelle Griffin's dark eyes regarded Rose curiously in Charms that afternoon. "Where were you at lunch?" she asked. "You disappeared right after Ruins."

Rose, looking uncomfortable, didn't look up from the paper she was scribbling on. "Um, I was with Ma-Scorpius."

From the row behind them, Scorpius interrupted. "No, you weren't. I was with Al."

Rose shot him her most scathing glare, to which Scorpius responded with only a smile. Al was sullen and silent beside Scorpius, green eyes flicking from his friend to his cousin with the smallest spark of curiousity.

Trying once again, Rose began, "I was with..."

Louis had arrived late and the only place available had been amongst the very last collection of people he had wanted to see. "Me," he said, and Rose's eyes lit up with surprise and gratitude. "I was helping her with her homework."

Isabelle didn't look entirely convinced, but their professor passed beside her at that moment and as she launched into the questions she needed answered.

Rose hissed at Louis, "_You_ were helping _me_ with _my_ homework?" Good Merlin, she was proud.

With a small smirk he replied, "Yes. Either I was helping you or everyone finds out who you were really with."

Did she really expect him to be kind to her in the face of this? Her lack of family loyalty prompted none from him in return.

Rose scowled but of course could raise no opposition. Scorpius let out an audible whoop of celebration, and Rose's quill threatened to break in her hand.

Scorpius leaned forward between the two of them, and Rose looked at him with expectation, but it wasn't to her that he spoke. "Are you sure you shouldn't have been a Slytherin?" he asked Louis.

Memories flashed before Louis's eyes; himself as an eleven-year-old in robes too big, Al's face, pale and wide-eyed, a kiss from the night before.

Al replied for him before Louis could formulate a response. "The hat would have put him there if that was so."

Scorpius dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "Not necessarily. Did it consider it?" he asked Louis, sounding genuinely curious.

Louis shrugged, unable to meet his eyes because _how could he do that now? _"Yeah," he said. "But it considered all the houses."

Slap.

Everyone turned to face Al, who'd somehow darkened even further, looking murderous. "Oh, you are fucking kidding me," he said. He must have slammed his textbook shut. His hand hovered on the cover, shaking.

"What's wrong?" Scorpius asked, but Al shook his head, and didn't answer, no matter how much Scorpius probed for a response.

* * *

Lucy was studying alone in her free period. Unlike most of her year level, she no longer did potions. She was -to say the least- entirely awful at it. And so she studied Herbology and somewhat begrudgingly because it was hard to do without the plants actually being there, but she was managing with the textbook. The subject wasn't particularly hard, but it was a little dull, and Lucy's mind couldn't help but wander. As horrifying as it would be to admit, that was exactly why she thought she was imagining it when Will Taylor sat down beside her.

But he was as warm and real as his smile and Lucy could just feel her promise to Matthew Davies slipping to the back of her mind once again. There was something intense in the way Will looked at her and Lucy was captivated by those hazel eyes and thick curly lashes that mirrored the curls of his hair. She could tell that for a moment she'd stopped listening to him, and he was so kindly helping her with the nuances of one particular plant, so she shook herself out of it and zoned back in once again to his words, not his looks. She screwed her face up and tried to understand exactly how the venom tract worked but she just couldn't puzzle it out without actually seeing the plant. She said as much.

"Would you like to go look at one then?" Will suggested. "I could show you properly."

Like Lucy could have said no. "Sure," she grinned, and he grinned back. They both knew they were meant to stay in that hall for the length of their study period, but that didn't stop them from sneaking out and running down the corridor like criminals, with no one on their heels.

Lucy may have blamed it on the Gryffindor's influence, rash acts of rebellion were their specialty, even ones as minor as this, but there was enough Gryffindor in her for it to be all her own doing.

* * *

In stark contrast to their last of this class together, Jez barely spoke to Louis in potions. They cut and lit and stirred practically in silence, and Jez's eyes barely seemed to leave Al, who was across the room working with Blair Parkinson. For what it was worth, Al barely seemed to notice. Jez looked sad and her neither her hair nor her makeup looked as flawless as usual yet Louis didn't comment. They all had their problems.

Louis himself was being good, or so he tried to convince himself. But even as he watched his girlfriend work across the aisle, or when the exchanged friendly words and he made her smile and she made him laugh it didn't make him faithful or honest in any way and yeah, the guilt was really pressing in.

Scorpius was absolutely no help.

When Rorie was preoccupied with an exceptionally busy part of the potion brewing process and Jez was sulking over the way Al and Blair almost touched or whatever she was doing, Scorpius learnt in from the row behind Louis and whispered into his ear. "So, effectively," he said, like they were in the middle of a conversation, "Rose and I aren't really dating at all."

Louis managed to keep his face straight as he turned to face the Slytherin. "Why do I care?" he asked. He'd been trying for emotionless but he instead he sounded icy. That would do.

"I'm just saying," smirked Scorpius in a way that suggested it wasn't all he was doing.

Louis stared at him. "Noted," he said, and turned back to Rorie. "Ror," he said, and she looked up and smiled as her copper coloured hair fell across her face. "Would you like to do something after class? With me?"

Louis heard the sound of Scorpius falling back into his seat, but it didn't please him like he thought it would.


	16. Somethings

**Chapter 16: Somethings**

In a sea of black James stood out in the scarlet and gold Quidditch sweater that screamed his famous name across the back. He wasn't seeking attention, although that was something he was wont to do, but wanting instead to be surreptitious as he browsed the library's book-lined shelves. That was the thing about school, the senior years especially, sometimes the less fun aspects such as, well, schoolwork, demanded attention.

It may have been the colourful clothing or perhaps the novelty of him being in the library at all, but it was just as likely not any of that because there rarely was a time that they wouldn't giggle and greet and wave and there never was a time that James wasn't anything but friendly in return. He knew no other way. However, underneath the calm exterior grew a rising sense of agitation, because this assignment was due so soon and he'd left it so late and where in the name of Godric's Galloping Geese was this bloody book?!

Then all good intentions vanished in the wake of something so much better than particularly difficult transfiguration.

It wasn't every day that you stumbled upon a secret meeting. Such happenings were a personal favourite of James's, and he conducted them himself at times, with much dramatic flair. There was something about this one, however, that filled him with a wicked glee. What was better than a secret Quidditch meeting? Well, one held by the enemy, with him right there in earshot.

This was a secluded study space, tucked behind some of the tallest shelves. James hadn't realised it existed, his lack of knowledge of the library only now feeling like the flaw in the knowledge of the castle and its secrets that he prided himself so heavily on. All the tables but one were empty. The occupied table housed a suspicious looking group, or maybe James just thought of them as such as he recognised them on sight; the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team.

Matthew Davies sat at the table's head and tipped back on his chair with a smug arrogance that had James gritting his teeth. You'd think he were captain of the whole world, not just his house's Quidditch team. When he spoke he didn't bother to keep his voice down and his brag was evident in the way he flicked back his fringe and smiled this punchable little smile. "So I'm taking Lucy Weasley to Hogsmede, right-"

The sound of his little cousin's name from the mouth of this absolute prick stilled James's heart's for the merest moment and his hands gripped even tighter to the shelve he peered through. Already he wanted to reach for his wand and curse the lot of them. And he could have, it was so close...

A scrawny little fifth year asked, "There's a Lucy Weasley?"

Davies laughed. "Yeah, I know, right? I had no idea either. Anyway, she's into me, of course..."

James's hand was on his wand.

"...and I want to be in on whatever she knows about her cousins' teams." He smiled so wide the corners of his mouth almost touched his ears, a grotesque sight. "Gentleman, the Cup is ours."

James pulled the wand from his pocket and, carefully, aimed it.

* * *

Somewhere along the way Lucy lost focus. While she was both studying and skipping class she was neither absorbing information nor worrying over getting caught. Instead she was smiling at the vines that threaded in twisting green masses overhead, at the beauty of the flowers in all array of colours, and at the warmth she felt when Will's hair tickled her face as they leaned in so close together. He listed off characteristics of the plant like an expert, a much needed help in this class where she skimmed by with barely average marks, but Lucy couldn't hear what he said, see what he demonstrated. The spark of possibility was blinding.

Couldn't he see how perfect this was? The greenhouse walls were an invisibility cloak against the world, coated in condensation and covered in plants of all colours and sizes and temperaments. It was cozy, it was warm, and both their cheeks were tinted with red.

The day, although almost over, was alive with potential, infinite with possibility. The scope of Lucy's vision, however, was so much narrower, and where it really mattered, she was as good as blind.

* * *

Hand in hand Louis and Rorie walked the halls together after class, for all to see. People whispered and pointed and Louis tried to shrug off the attention. Rorie ducked her face shyly, but was smiling. Louis, who could be really quite decisive and convincing when he put his mind to it, had been the one to take her hand after class, and now he turned on the charm. It was like a switch. He just closed his eyes for a moment, breathed in a deep breath and then he was chatting and smiling and shoving the weight that pushed down on his chest further inward (it was just the stares, he told himself, the attention).

Louis's cousin Al had stopped mid-corridor, an expression of disgust twisting his features. Louis followed Al's gaze with his own to where everyone was now looking, with a range of different reactions, to the very public show that Scorpius and Rose made of their feigned affections. Rose looked surprised and awkward, her neck at an unusual angle and her hands placed so uncertainly upon Scorpius's arms, of all places, and Scorpius looked too intense and Louis found the whole thing entirely off-putting and not the least bit convincing.

"I think my eyes are burning," Rorie announced, rubbing them as though to clear the image.

"They're ...not subtle," agreed Louis, then fell silent, wondering if there was anyone here who felt genuinely at all. He couldn't even count Rorie, as much as she seemed to like him, for that wasn't him that she was seeing. She couldn't like someone she didn't know. "Let's go far away," he suggested, thinking of the ocean but settling on the lake, the forest, the greenhouses, the Quidditch pitch... anywhere with fresh air and no one else around.

* * *

Rose had always been very sure of who she was, what she wanted, what she was going to do. She was confident and competent, individual and independent. Basically she was more than capable of getting stuff done for herself, by herself.

But sometimes she had to ask for help. There are only so many hours in a day and secret boyfriends aren't secretly met on their own. Hugo wouldn't usually be her first choice for such assistance, he was a little too prone to sarcasm, teenage angst, and thinking his older sister was a whack-job jock, but he was family and this was a family matter and a little responsibility couldn't hurt the slacker.

As expected, Hugo was less than compliant to her demands. "I'm not your owl."

Rose only had eyes for the clock above the fireplace. "I don't have time for owls, there's too many letters to write. Just tell them, will you?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

He was probably just trying to get her off his back but Rose would take what she could get. "Thanks little bro," she grinned, ruffling his curly locks.

Hugo winced at the show of affection. "That didn't just happen," he announced to the common room at large.

"Yes it did," smirked a very pretty little blonde girl, just one of the many people who Hugo would rather not have see his older sister treating him like a pet.

Unfortunately the girl was right, however, and all Hugo could do was blush quite obviously and remind himself that when he ruled the world, or whatever was in store for him (he was yet to work out the exact nature of The Plan) there would be no condescending looks nor ruffling of hair.

* * *

Heavy boots slammed into the ground, scattering the flakes of snow too freshly fallen to already be beaten rock hard and dirty brown. Feet pushed off, broomstick taking flight and the feel of the wind, fresh and ice cold against his face. Al flew for the sheer breath-taking adrenaline rush of it. This was healthy, this was always an option. The sky was always there.

He repeated it over and over again, but down to his stomach he still felt ill and his mind was a buzzing hornet's nest and they were after him, swarming and swarming and_make it stop._

Around the pitch he flew. Lap after lap after lap. Not a challenge; almost boring.

Over the lake, skimming the surface with his hands, thankful it wasn't entirely frozen.

Through the trees, dodge and duck and _roll_.

Hurtling, speed less than safe.

Al didn't consider himself over-confident in his skill, just aware of what he can do.

Back into open land, hovering mid-air, for a moment lost without purpose.

In the distance a figure materialised, flying so fast and right towards him. Al paused for just a second, long enough to register just who it was. He shoved that information aside and he sped off in the opposite direction, because for once he wanted to be running from someone less evasive than himself. He wanted a race he could win.

* * *

Rose didn't quite know how to identify herself along with someone else, and she wondered if she'd changed, now her thoughts were entirely consumed by another.

She loved everything about Teddy, from the way he smiled to how he always looked just a little lost, but he knew where he wanted to go. She wanted to help him get there.

"I shouldn't be so consumed by this place," he said, motioning at Hogwarts and all it entailed. "I shouldn't be so consumed by a time I never knew. It wasn't my past, it was my parents' and their friends' and I never knew any of them, but I can't escape it nonetheless, and all I want is to find out more."

They both did, but Rose's interest was more curiousity and quite likely fueled by her desire to be close to Teddy, while Teddy's fascination was less an idle interest and more of an obsession. Rose stroked his hand and listened as he shared things with her that he'd never speak of to anyone else.

"Sometimes," Teddy said, his voice so quiet Rose had to strain to hear it, "I just feel like I should have been there, like I could have done something, changed things."

Rose knew not to point out the impossibilities, the lack of reason connected with the desire to effect events that had occurred before you were even born. Rose was a deeply practical person, but Teddy had dreams and she'd never let herself be the one to shatter them. He may have been older and physically stronger but that didn't change how fiercely protective she felt of him. Even these past injustices that Teddy mulled over felt like very real threats but, unfortunately for Rose, not one's she could punch or curse.

"You have your own reason for being here now," she said eventually, unsure though whether she believed it. "We have our own purpose, there'll be something for us."

"Will there, though?" His voice was heavy with melancholy. "Because I've been alive for what feels like a _very long time_ and my life has amounted to nothing."

"Don't say that," said Rose, voice sharp with a stabbing pain. "You're not nothing to your grandmother, to the Potters. You're not nothing to me."

"I'm sorry," said Teddy, but he still sounded distracted.

Rose gripped his hand so he'd look at her, look at her properly. She fixed her eyes on his, willed so hard that he'd listen and believe. "Your parents died so we could live in peace. Don't ever think it was for nothing."

* * *

The Hogwarts gossip mill was a fascinating thing.

"Everyone's talking about it," Isabelle Griffin said, running her fingers along Scorpius's arm in a way that made his hairs stand up on end. "Well, not as much as you and Rose_, _that was _truly_ scandalous." She had a habit of accentuating certain words, her voice dripping with melodrama.

No, thought Scorpius, that was a yawn at best. "Rose?" he asked. "Your good friend?"

"We're not _friends_," explained Isabelle in sultry tones that still somehow sounded like she was schooling a young child. "We're just housemates."

"She thinks you're friends." Scorpius placed his own hand upon Isabelle's, and removed her's from his arm.

"You're so _boring _these days, Scorpius." Under the table her other hand moved to his leg.

Scorpius fiddled the quill she'd abandoned when he'd sat down beside her and apparently encouraged her once again. Whoops. "We're in a library," he reminded her curtly. "Also, do you like to collect the gossip or start it?You seem to be aiming for the latter."

He felt nothing at the sight of her sulking bottom lip, unable even to bring himself to be thankful when she removed her hand from his leg and folded it modestly in front of her. "Thank you for your information," Scorpius told her formally, getting to his feet.

He didn't look behind him as he exited the room.

* * *

"Tell me something about yourself," Rorie said, hair glistening red in the sunlight. They walked side by side along a cobbled path that curved alongside the greenhouse where experimental flowers grew unnaturally big and stunningly bright, their hands almost touching.

_I want to like you a lot more than I do_, Louis thought. "I like the way your hair changes colour with the light, and your eyes with your mood," he said. His lips twitched but it wasn't a smile because this was cruel of him, this didn't feel right. But he didn't feel right himself and he just wanted to be happy in this moment, with her, and it wasn't as if he were trying too hard or pretending to much because, really, charm did come easy to him and he noticed things like this but, not even that deep down, he still felt like a fake.

"That's not about you!" Rorie scolded but she couldn't hide her smile.

"See," Louis smiled back, "They look brighter already. Less like honey, more like molten gold."

In that moment Louis's mind was focussed on a couple things. One, he noticed they'd stopped moving. Two, a gigantic spider on a greenhouse's outer wall, and Three, beyond that spider that there were people, misty shapes through the greenhouse walls. He noticed all that yet failed to see how it was that Rorie leaned in to kiss him.

He was more than aware, though, when it happened. Her hand clasped his thin wrists and her lips were soft and the kiss was gentle and afterwards she blushed prettily and looked at the ground then up at him and she apologised and he told her no, don't apologise, and this time he kissed her, like she was a wishing well or a shooting star and if he hoped hard enough he'd get what he really wanted.

* * *

Will was distracted and it was all that Lucy could notice. _Just look at me, _she thought, so hopelessly.

But his eyes remained upon the plants and when he did look at her he wasn't truly looking at her but past her, or he would look at her but it was like he couldn't see- Lucy didn't know how to describe it. All she knew was this sinking feeling of disappointment, a gradual growing despair that pooled in her stomach and confirmed what she'd already known, that there never would be anyone who was interested in her, really interested in her. Why should there be? She thought of all the other people, and all the ones who could take a moment like this and make it something, then she pictured how it was going to be, how she'd let this moment pass right by, be a nothing in a life where only somethings survive.

So she tried even harder. She smiled and she spoke and she joked but she couldn't keep the panic at bay. She had to do something, she had to make some impact. How many people did he know? Would this moment remain even an extra hour in his memory? She just didn't want it to get lost. She didn't want to look back and feel only regret.

But nothing came to her. She had no wild urges, nothing truly interesting to say. She wished she could be like her cousins, who never struggled in the way she did. She thought how Will would be used to the excitement of James and she thought of the way everyone talked about Al and Rose and all the rest of them, everyone else but her.

Things were meant to be getting better. She had a date with Ravenclaw's Quidditch Captain and she'd been so happy, she should be so happy, but she wasn't and she couldn't understand why, and now here she was, greedily wanting more. What was wrong with her?

Will froze, eyes suddenly focused beyond the frosted glass. Lucy followed his gaze and upon seeing the embracing couple, blushed and looked away before she could tell who they were. She felt awkward. Would her and Will have to kiss now? It was this new pressure, heavy in the air, and although she spent every day just hoping, this didn't feel right.

* * *

There were many conflicting feelings jolting about inside of him in that moment, but James honed his concentration. He tried to shove it all aside and for the most part he was successful, which led to the pride that swelled in his chest. He only hoped Al would be as proud of him as he was of himself.

Except his brother was accelerating away from him like hell itself was snapping at his heels. James watched him for a moment before tilting the nose of his own broom down and speeding after his little brother. Al maintained the lead, twisting and turning and dodging and moving like the bloody good flier he was.

But when you've been competing against someone for as long as either of you can remember, you know their tricks, their strengths and their weaknesses. And when it came to flying, James wasn't so bad himself.

It took James less than five minutes to catch up and cut Al off from the front. There they hovered, suspended above a carpet of rocks and scraggly trees. Their hair was the same black windswept mess and if you were at a distance and didn't know either of them you may be unable to tell them apart. If you knew them at all, you'd struggle to spot similarities.

"What do want?" Al didn't bother to hide his annoyance.

James was silent for a moment. "Are there more important things in life than Quidditch?"

"Have you chased me down just so we can _philosophise?"_

James crossed his arms over his chest. "Answer it."

"Yeah. Yeah, there is." He sounded uncertain, or maybe it was suspicion in his voice.

"Like what?"

Al shrugged, looking sullen with his moody eyes and wisps of dark hair blowing across his freckled face.

"I'd say family would be one, wouldn't you?"

Al's nose crinkled, possibly with disgust. "You're not here to complain that I don't spend enough time with you, are you?"

"Ew, _no._ Your ugly face plagues me enough."

"I am charmed."

"You should be. Anyway, I need your help."

Al's eyes widened and his voice was flat with disbelief. "You need my help?"

"Yes."

"Are you okay?" Al asked, peering at him closely. "Not because you're actually asking for _my_ help, but you seem ...off."

James's gaze darted across to the horizon. "I'm trying to contain my rage, Albus."

"Your rage? Shouldn't you be off cursing someone, or however you Gryffs deal with your problems?"

"Well, that's why I'm here, isn't it?"

Al's voice raised an octave. "So you can curse me?!"

"No," said James, with a flicker of a smile. "So you can curse someone with me."


	17. What Could Have Been

**Chapter 17: What Could Have Been**

Soft, freshly fallen snowflakes tangled in Rorie's eyelashes. Louis sat beside her on the bench, their hands just touching. Everything was quiet in the world, and so loud in his head.

He didn't notice the stamping and the shouting at first, not until they were almost upon them, and he was forced from his own mind and into the cloud of noise and emotion the other party brought.

James and Al were arguing like only brothers can. Not that Louis would really know, growing up with sisters, but he had always associated these siblings, at least, with noise.

"We're not telling her," insisted James. "We can bruise an eye each and we're done."

"I think if anyone has a right to hit him, it's Lucy."

James scoffed. "She wouldn't hit anyone."

Al's tone was matter-of-fact. "And neither would you."

James shook his head, shaking snowflakes about with reckless abandon. "It's the principle of the matter," he said.

Louis closed his eyes and just kind of wished them away. He could sense Rorie tense beside him. A part of him registered that he should feel bad that her otherwise pleasant afternoon was being trampled upon, but the memories were only weeds disguised as flowers and there's a difference between knowing you should feel something and actually feeling it.

"Louis!" James called out to him.

Louis raised his hand in a sort of wave thing in reply. It meant 'hi' yet also 'please go away, you are too loud and I can't be bothered.'

"What do you think?" They were right in front of them now.

James obviously wasn't a believer in providing context, but Louis let it slide. "Who is it?" he asked. "I'll punch them for you."

"Matthew Davies, and thank you, Al doesn't want to fracture his fingernails."

"That _isn't it_," said Al, sounding annoyed. Luckily an annoyed Al was Louis's favourite kind of Al to deal with.

Mind the sarcasm.

Louis scrunched up his nose. "That twat? I'll definitely hit him then."

"What did he do?" Rorie asked.

Louis wished she hadn't. He didn't want to be reminded of how close she was to his cousin. He hoped he could sink into nothingness before he'd have to untangle this mess. At times like these he just tried to remind himself that not even their existence was certain, let alone such fragile concepts of the future, and that none of this even mattered. It was a sour hollow lie, though, and he choked at the thought of it.

"What did he do?" The question was repeated. This other voice was soft, yet stone-cold.

Lucy stood at the door to the greenhouse, an ambiguous figure shadowed behind her.

For the first time, perhaps ever, James fell short of words.

Louis didn't even know what it was that Davies has done to Lucy yet his stomach still sunk when he looked at her. It was something in her trusting brown eyes, her sweet nature. You didn't want anyone to hurt her, not in any way.

Even Al changed course. "It doesn't matter, Luce," he said, scratching at the back of his big head of hair in a way that said the opposite, that it did matter, it mattered a lot. "We've got this."

"No," she said, with this steel-like certainty that caught them all off guard. "I want to know."

* * *

It was nearly Rose's birthday. The thought sent an excited thrill through her stomach. Seventeen. Legal.

Let it be clear that Rose Weasley never was the skipping sort. She was more of a stomper, you know the kind. But as she made her way back up to Gryffindor Tower there was something very like a skip in her step, a little extra bounce that spread throughout her, so even as she walked she smiled.

Nobody was going to get her down.

Then she ran into Scorpius.

It was probably unkind of her, to want to point out that he looked rather ratlike when he scowled, but he really did. She opened her mouth to say it (Not in a mean way, she'd want to point out. She wasn't feeling mean.), but before she could get the words out, he'd walked on.

He just strode right past her.

"Excuse me?" she called at his back.

The very way he stopped made it look like that last thing he wanted to do. "What?" he asked, tersely.

Rose gaped like a fish. What, exactly? "Will you come to my birthday dinner?" she found herself asking.

There was something in his eyes and the tense line of his mouth that made him look pained. All he said though, was "Sure, Rosie," and went back on his way.

Rose watched him go with a tight feeling in her stomach.

* * *

Lucy was surprisingly calm.

So calm in fact that she was sure she was radiating this overwhelming sense of calmness, calmness that anyone around her would be able to pick up on, and maybe then feel it too.

Maybe it wasn't calmness.

She'd stayed very still as she listened, eventually having managed to drag the story from her reluctant cousins.

There was a part of her, quite deep down, that felt like a string that had been pulled taut then snapped, and a part of her that wanted to yell and cry and scream.

But most of her was calm.

"Are you sure you don't want me to punch him?" Louis had asked, and looked like he meant it.

Lucy couldn't actually imagine Louis punching anyone, and even if he did, he didn't appear strong enough to actually cause any harm. She didn't want anyone to get hurt, but it was already to late for that, and Lucy had her magic, she didn't need someone else to defend her. She could do so herself.

"Be careful where you stick that thing," Louis had said, eyeing her rowan wood wand. This was later, when they stood alone in that corridor and Lucy had surprised him with a request.

Lucy smiled, overly wide. "I'll be very careful."

Louis had looked almost fearful, and had vanished almost as quick as her smile had, and Lucy had felt herself deflate, and a sadness and sense of stupidity crept over her and to it she said _no,_ and she paced back and forth, back and forth, concentrating on breathing, concentrating on calm.

Lucy wasn't a violent person. She hated the idea of wanting to hit him, to curse him, but that didn't change how much she wanted to. She just felt so _stupid_. She felt betrayed. And she couldn't understand how somebody could even do such a thing.

She felt sad for what could have been, for what she let herself believe.

She had no idea what she was going to do, what she was going to say. Maybe she should just leave, hide away from Davies and pretend none of it had ever happened.

But she couldn't do that.

Frustrated, she started pacing again.

* * *

Rose first heard about it at dinner, though some part of her had registered the whisperings in the corridors.

Her mind was fixated on her own problems as she mindlessly shoveled in food, but her ears pricked at the sound of her surname. It wasn't enough on it's own to properly grasp her curiousity, it was when she worked out exactly who they were talking about that had her setting down her fork.

Her cousin Lucy never captured their attention.

Isabelle Griffin laughed the loudest, but their whole group was doing so. Rose couldn't quite grasp what they were saying, just that it didn't sound _nice._

"What happened?" Rose asked.

A few people looked slightly chastened for a moment. It _was _Rose's cousin they were talking about. But the Gryffindors tend to do exactly what they want to do, whether or not it's what you'd prefer them to be doing.

Teagan Finnigan said, "She went off her nut at Matthew Davies. Like, completely bonkers."

"She did what?" asked Rose.

"Yelled like a mad man."

That didn't sound like Lucy to Rose. "How do you know this?" she asked.

Teagan shrugged. "Issy."

Rose looked to Isabelle. She didn't need to ask, it was in her expression.

"I heard from Laura Churchly."

"Who the shit is Laura Churchly?"

"Fourth year Hufflepuff."

"How do you know-" Rose gave up halfway through her question. "Why was she yelling at him?"

Issy examined her nails. "Apparently he was leading her on."

"That doesn't make sense," said Rose.

"It was something to do with Quidditch," said someone else.

Rose looked again to Issy, who sighed. "He was pretending to be into her to get inside info on Quidditch."

This still wasn't making any sense to Rose. "But Lucy doesn't know anything about Quidditch."

Isabelle shrugged. "Don't know why else he'd be interested. She's clearly a freak."

Rose felt the anger welling up inside her. "She's my cousin."

Isabelle didn't flinch from Rose's narrowed eyes. "You never even talk to her."

Was that true? Rose looked away. Her gaze roamed the Hufflepuff table, looking for her cousins's dark head.

She only saw it when Lucy got to her feet and left the Great Hall with hurried feet and her head down. Before even making a conscious decision Rose was standing herself.

"You're all horrible people," she told her friends.

* * *

In the Entrance Hall, Lucy kicked at the wall. It hurt. She threw herself down on the floor and tried not to cry.

"Luce-"

Lucy looked up, angry words already on the tip of her tongue, but they died when she saw who it was. "Rose?" She didn't sound angry, only completely surprised.

"Hi."

Rose didn't ask permission, just sat down beside Lucy. Both their backs rested against the wall. A large part of Lucy wished she'd just disappeared through the entrance to her common room, out of reach of any more looks, any more words. Somewhere where no one could hurt her.

"Are you alright?" asked Rose, with very intense brown eyes.

Lucy nodded.

Rose lurched into what she had to say next without context or preamble. "I don't know why they're giving _you_ the hard time. What about him? He's the shithead. No one's saying anything about him. How's that fair?" She looked to Lucy like the other girl would actually have an answer.

Lucy shrugged, unable to meet her cousin's eyes. "I guess I deserved it. I overreacted."

"Don't you dare say that again."

Scatterings of people were occasionally leaving the Great Hall, alone or in groups of two or three. It was nearly time for dessert, and not everyone stuck around for it. If they'd spare a curious -or otherwise motivated- look towards Rose and Lucy, Rose would fix them with a withering glare. No one approached.

Lucy didn't reply. The rational part of her mind knew her cousin was right, but the rest of her...

"Lucy, look at me."

Lucy did.

"You did nothing wrong. He's a twat. They're all idiots, they'll say anything. Please don't let it get to you."

"I'll try," she replied, less than convincingly.

"Repeat after me."

"What?"

"You heard me. Repeat: My name is Lucy Weasley and I am fantastically brilliant."

Lucy couldn't help but smile, just a little. "I'm not saying that."

"Yes, you are. You're not leaving until you do so."

"You're mental."

Lucy didn't say it unkindly, yet still it reminded Rose of the discussion at dinner and her resolve doubled. "Say it. Now."

Lucy pulled a face. "My name is Lucy Weasley... and I am... kind of alright."

"Not good enough."

"I'm great?"

"I'll wait here all night."

Lucy let out a breath of air, like a laugh, and she said, with rolling eyes and a I'm-only-saying-this-because-I-have-to tone, "My name is Lucy Weasley and I am fantastically brilliant."

Rose cheered and clapped. "Yeah, you are!" She got to her feet. "You're coming to my birthday dinner, alright? It's tomorrow. We're meeting here just before curfew."

Lucy smiled. "Sounds great. I'll see you there."

"Bye cous'."

"See you."

Lucy's positivity lasted as long as it took for a group of girls she didn't even know, who, on leaving the Great Hall, pointed and laughed at Lucy with little to no decorum.

She ran over her best hexes in her head before muttering to herself, _"I used to be nice,"_ and disappearing into her badger hole.

* * *

Al didn't throw a punch or land a hex. He had a startlingly civil conversation with his brother, said goodbye, and went back to his common room.

He looked there and in the dorm for Scorpius, and didn't find him.

He gave up looking the moment he saw Jez and her blue dress and her smile. They disappeared under the invisibility cloak and out of the tower and Albus worried no longer.

* * *

_AN: I am SO TIRED this is probably RIDDLED WITH ERRORS i am very much soz etc etc_

_Half a year between updates and it's a short chapter and mostly set-up aww I am the worst awww. Feel free to leave a review letting me know that I am the worst and how I shouldn't even bother. Luv yas. xoxo_

_(Post Script: I made this document all up and moved on and nearly completely forgot to actually post it. If you're actually reading this some kind of miracle has occurred. Save the date.)_


	18. Only Natural

**Chapter 18: Only Natural**

Al's morning practice had not been a disaster.

It was some type of miracle. He felt -and he told his team this- like it was the first time he'd looked at them and not wanted to weep. He was a very encouraging captain. But really, through all his wanting, this was the first time he'd actually felt like they had a chance. A real chance.

He hadn't even wanted to kill his twat of a Seeker, which was unheard of. Maybe the fact McLaggen still seemed to be half asleep -the practice session had been called spontaneously- had something to do with it, but the rest of the team thrived.

He'd been so happy he hugged one of the Chasers -a third year, who'd never looked more terrified in his life- and for the rest of the day could not stop talking about how wonderfully everything had gone and how great they were bound to do in the games.

For most of the day he sat with his Keeper, Parker Trench, and, for once, the conversation was no entirely one-sided, as they both ran over plays and plans for glory. Or he was with Jez, who was so pleased to see him happy that she listened to his chatter with very little complaint, and demanded to know where her Albus was when he insisted she tell him about all she'd been up to.

At lunch, he gathered his team around him to go over the morning's practice once more, and to let them know what they needed to work on before the next time they met. Their first game back was growing closer and Al didn't think he'd be able to live with himself if they lost.

He only saw his cousin Rose for a few moments. She was surrounded by a big group of friends but, before they filed into class, he'd been able to give her a hug and wish her a happy birthday and promise she'd get his present later. Her friends were still yelling in her ear, dancing about or covering her in sparks and streamers that she'd barely managed a thank you in response before he'd lost her again.

He didn't even mind.

* * *

The Gryffindors were crazy today.

Lucy didn't know why, but she couldn't stop watching them. It was Rose's birthday and they seemed to have decided to spend _literally all day_ celebrating it. From what Lucy understood about them, they'd take any chance for a party they could, but she just couldn't understand how they had so much _energy._ She felt tired just watching them.

She was glad that they weren't talking about her that day. Right? Yes, that made sense. She didn't belong in the spotlight.

But Merlin, they made it look like a lot of fun to be there.

Today, she couldn't even imagine these people saying anything unkind about her. They were laughing and singing and smiling and made even the most boring of classes look like a fun fair.

Everyone else seemed entirely sick of them, rolling their eyes and muttering bitchy comments to one another, but Lucy couldn't find fault with people enjoying themselves.

It was a shame, though, that this is what Lucy did. She watched from a distance.

She watched everyone else live their lives, lapping up their stories. She seemed to hang about in a sort of non-existence herself.

Her friends may have still been acting a bit odd towards her, but Lucy wouldn't have known. She was watching the Gryffindors.

Professors would tell them off and they'd quieten down for maybe a minute, and then they'd start back up again. Lucy tried to imagine having the nerve. She'd give anything just to be a little more daring.

It was a while before she realised she was being watched back.

On the way to lunch Lucy was stopped by a hand on her arm. She looked down and she saw dainty fingers and flawlessly painted nails. She looked up and she saw Isabelle Griffin smiling at her.

"Hey, Lucy," she said, like they spoke all the time. Which, for the record, they definitely did not. Ever. "We're having a gathering tonight. Eleven-PM, Astronomy Tower. Be there?"

Lucy only assumed she phrased it like a question. She glanced over her shoulders and she saw Cassie hanging back, waiting for her. Then Cassie spotted her boyfriend and called him over and Lucy turned back to Isabelle and smiled. "Sure."

* * *

Louis couldn't find the right word for it.

For some reason, that was what he was most preoccupied with doing. They sat on opposite sides of the same table, books open in front of them or piled around them and the pressure of a whole lot of work to do weighing them down and Louis was trying to find the right word.

Did 'awkward' work?

No, he didn't think so.

Scorpius didn't look uncertain or self-conscious or anything at all that could make the situation awkward. He was just quiet. Steady. Calm. Composed.

Louis could throw more words out there, but it didn't matter what he called it, it was unbelievably frustrating.

This was their Care of Magical Creatures class and they were in the most exciting stage of all; theory.

Louis was pretty sure he was studying the wrong thing.

Scorpius wasn't looking at him. His brow furrowed slightly and he scribbled something out from his page of notes, then he said, "I understand it must be difficult not to, but it is considered rude to stare."

Louis felt his cheeks flush, just slightly. "Sorry," he said, but he didn't look away.

Scorpius was still looking at his page, but he raised a brow slightly and Louis knew it was directed at him.

Louis waited. He was sure he was waiting for something. He didn't know what it was, just that it would have to come eventually.

Yet still, Scorpius remained silent.

There were no smart-arse comments, no provokative questions.

When at last Scorpius opened his mouth, the question that followed was such an inane enquiry into the natural habitat of the kneezle that Louis couldn't even find the words to respond.

"I think we've done enough," said Scorpius, suddenly, even though Louis obviously had done nowhere near it.

He arranged his books into two neat piles, one of which went back onto a cart to later end up back onto shelves and the other he carried over to the librarian. Louis left most of his things where they were and followed after him.

The librarian processed the two random books Louis had grabbed and was now borrowing, while Louis watched Scorpius cross to the door.

When he disappeared around the corner, Louis was right behind him.

"Don't go," he heard himself saying.

Scorpius stopped. He turned around, his mouth quirked into the most infuriating little smirk. "What was that?" he asked, voice awfully sweet.

Louis scowled.

"Sorry," said Scorpius, making to turn back around. "I thought I heard you say something."

"You're a prick."

"That's nice. I'll just be going now." He really did turn.

"Don't," said Louis, and he winced. "Go. Please."

The grin on Scorpius's face when he spun back around was wider than Louis thought was at all necessary. "Oh, is that what you want?" he asked, innocently.

"I don't... think we got enough work done," said Louis, carefully.

"I did plenty."

Louis had to resist the urge to hex him. He fiddled with the strap of his bag, shifting the weight from his shoulder. "I might need some help," he said.

"I'm sick of working."

Louis genuinely did not have the slightest idea why he didn't just walk away then. He considered doing so, but his feet just weren't working. "What did you want to do instead?" he found himself asking. He felt like he'd taken a plunge, and waiting to feel himself hit the water.

Scorpius smiled. "I'm sure we'll think of something."

Louis sighed. "I'm going to die," he said, but he started walking.

Scorpius did the same, falling in line beside hime. "Don't feel bad or anything," he said. "Everyone wants me. It's only natural."

"Oh, I've just remembered. I have to be anywhere else but here."

"Do I need to tone down the arrogance?" asked Scorpius.

"A little bit."

Scorpius stood up straight, seeming to steel himself. "Anything for you," he said, voice weighted with mock-solemnity.

Louis smiled. "I am charmed."

"Good. That was my aim."

"It was very nice."

"You're mocking me."

"Oh no, I wouldn't dream of it."

Scorpius didn't reply for a minute. Then he said, "Just so you know, it isn't arrogance. It's honesty."

Louis didn't feel bad about pushing him into that wall.

* * *

The Whomping Willow struck an imposing figure against a starlit sky. Rose shivered, but whether from cold or excitement she did not know. Either way, the night felt alive.

It was Hugo who stilled the thumping branches, but she wished it wasn't him who did so. She had to resist the urge to snap out at him. She felt it was her job to look after him, but Hugo was taller than she was now, and he had been for a year.

The warm, damp tunnel was unnervingly quiet, until it was punctured by Lily's shrill scream.

Roxanne called James immature, and he laughed until she jabbed his ribs and he jumped even higher than his sister had when he did the same to her.

They all started talking then. The place was too full of myth and history and it felt better to cover it in any way they could.

Rose was sure that was why Teddy was so quiet, him more than anyone. But when he spoke, it wasn't of the place, nor his father and what he'd gone through here.

It was wider where they walked, and the two of them stood side by side. Ahead of them walked Scorpius, a solitary shadow.

"You two can break it off now, can't you?" Teddy spoke quietly, but not so quietly that Scorpius couldn't hear every word. "There's no need to pretend any more."

Rose hesitated. Just for a moment, but a moment was long enough for Teddy to see. When Rose looked at him his jaw was set in a stony line and his eyes were black.

"Absolutely," she said, but it was too late. The damage had been done. "We'll just have to think of a way to make it believable-"

Scorpius's voice broke in. "I don't want to see you any more."

_Easy,_ he seemed to say. _Done._

Rose didn't know why she shook when she answered, or why she said what she did, her voice so sad. "It's... it's my birthday..."

Then there was light as the tunnel opened out and Rose sheltered her eyes against the glare. She only felt Teddy push on past her. She only heard James's voice.

"So, is Al meeting us there later?

Shit.

Shit shit shit shit shit shit.

No he was not, because she hadn't invited him.

Shit.

* * *

_AN: I reached 200 reviews and it was SO EXCITING that I wrote this entire chapter out in one sitting, in celebration. 300 next, right? (Ha, I can dream)._

_Thank you to all of you for being awesome. XO_

_(Sappy author's note is a little sappy but SORRY NOT SORRY)_


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